DETAILS

The Radial Survey Symposium seeks to create an environment for meaningful discussion around the themes of Radial Survey Vol.4 among all of the symposium participants. The participants include artists, writers, scholars, and community members from around the Radial Survey region. To help facilitate meaningful conversation the symposium will be capped at 35 participants. Symposium Schedule 10:00: Coffee and welcome remarks from Leo Hsu 10.10–11.00 | Panel 1: Mapping Memory and Movement McNair Evans and Ian John Solomon explore how journeys through place and time shape our sense of belonging. What does it mean to be both leaving and arriving? How do past injustices shape present realities, and what futures emerge when we reconnect with the land—and each other? 11.00-11.10 Break 11.10–12.00 | Panel 2: Reimagining Material Histories Christine Lorenz and Juan Orrantia examine how materials and their photographic representation carry memory, power, and forms of resistance. What stories do overlooked materials hold? How can breaking inherited ways of seeing open new possibilities? 12-1.30: Lunch: Generously sponsored by Manduhandu 1.30–2.20 | Panel 3: Refusal as Experimentation Amelia Burns and SHAN Wallace challenge photographic norms through collage, analog processes, and deliberate ‘imperfection.’ How do memories and past selves influence the images we create? How do visual norms embedded in photography relate to systems of surveillance, and what happens when we refuse clarity and control? 2.20-2.30: Break 2.30–3.20 | Closing Panel: Futures of the Radius Radial Survey highlights vital artists redefining photography within 300 miles of Pittsburgh, evolving with each edition. What connections shape this radius, and how does it expand through collaboration? What is at stake for contemporary photography, and how do these artists point the way forward?