Conflict of Interest
Helen Lewis on Destruction and Reconstruction
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Episode notes
How have artists, filmmakers and photographers shaped our understanding of wars and conflict? Journalist and writer Helen Lewis explores the recently-opened Blavatnik Art, Film and Photography Galleries at Imperial War Museum, London.
From No Man's Land to mushroom clouds, Helen discovers the people that have interpreted over a hundred years of conflict, in this specially-curated tour by James Bulgin, Head of Public History at IWM.
They are joined by Suzanne Plunkett, Reuters' Chief Photographer for the UK and Ireland, and a photojournalist for almost 30 years - and someone who can give us a first hand account of what it’s like to be capturing a seismic event in the moment.
Objects Discussed:
Paul Nash, The Menin Road, 1919
John Armstrong, Pro Patria, 1938
Mushroom Cloud over Nagasaki, 1945
Suzanne Plunkett, People Covered in Dust and Debris New York, 11 September 2001 -
© AP (IWM DC 123993)
© AP (IWM DC 124023)
Narrator: James Taylor. Producer: Matt Hill at Rethink Audio, with support from Eleanor Head, Daniel BenChorin, and the IWM Institute team at Imperial War Museums