Photo|Frome – 'In Conversation' Ken Loach, Susan Meiselas, Joss Barratt | Rook Lane Chapel
Arts
An exclusive Photo|Frome event, which sees Frome resident, magazine editor, and arts journalist Ash Khandekar host a conversation with world-renowned filmmaker Ken Loach, documentary photographer and Magnum Foundation President Susan Meiselas, and professional film & television still photographer Joss Barratt to discuss how photography serves today's important issues, be they through fiction or journalism. Expect a fascinating evening, insightful anecdotes, and a sharp-witted exchange from some of the very best exponents of their art. Book Signing & Private ViewAfter the discussion, there will be a book signing by Susan of the newest edition of her groundbreaking publication, 'Nicaragua'. Then mingle with artists, curators, and photography-loving visitors – and enjoy a private viewing of the exhibition at Rook Lane Chapel, which relates directly to the evening's discussions. (Event photo: Joss Barratt) Speaker BiographiesKen Loach is a critically acclaimed English filmmaker whose work is imbued with humanistic spirit and considered a landmark of social realism. This unwavering focus on social issues, the oppressed, and everyday folk marginalised by society is evident in numerous television programmes and the 28 feature films Loach has directed, dating back to career that began in 1964. He is a two-time recipient of the Palme d'Or prize at the Cannes Film Festival and holds the record for the director with the most films screened at Cannes (15). His most recent – and reportedly final – film, The Old Oak (2023), is a drama about refugees living in the north-east of England. Susan Meiselas is a world-renowned documentary photographer based in New York. She is the recipient of the Outstanding Contribution to Photography title of the Sony World Photography Awards 2025. Her photographs are included in North American and international collections. She was made a MacArthur Fellow (1992), received a Guggenheim Fellowship (2015), and most recently the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize (2019) and the first Women in Motion Award from Kering and the Rencontres d’Arles. Mediations, a survey exhibition of her work from the 1970s to the present, was recently exhibited at the Fundació Antoni Tàpies, Jeu de Paume, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Instituto Moreira Salles in São Paulo, Kunst Haus Wien, C/O Berlin, Kunstmuseum Magdeburg, and FOMU in Antwerp. Susan has been the President of the Magnum Foundation since 2007, with a mission to expand diversity and creativity in documentary photography. Joss Barratt is an experienced professional photographer whose 35-year career has principally focused on shooting stills for the film and television industry. Originally a photojournalist, his quick eye for storytelling pictures blends a personal approach with the particular demands of film sets and varied commercial assignments. He has worked with many different directors including Richard Eyre, Pawel Pawlikowski, Dominic Savage, and has worked on over 20 films with Ken Loach. Whilst working on set my pictures can arrive from anywhere, I try and stay constantly connected to the space and the energy of the people I’m working with to catch fleeting moments of truth in a make-believe world. Ash Khandekar was born in India and raised in the United Kingdom. He graduated with a degree in English Literature from Oxford, where he was a choral scholar, and went on to train as a journalist on the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong. Currently a Director of C Sharp Media, he has worked as a journalist and arts consultant with a wide range of music publications and cultural organisations in Hong Kong, India, and the UK, including a 25-year stint as Editor-in-Chief of Opera Now magazine. Ash lives in Frome with his civil partner Michael and a dog named Dash.
Information Source: Photo|Frome | eventbrite