236 - Louis Quail

A Small Voice: Conversations With Photographers

Louis Quail is a documentary photographer who increasingly devotes his time to personal, long-term projects. His most recent work ‘Big Brother’ (published with Dewi Lewis, 2018), has received significant critical acclaim. The book and the work in it has been shortlisted for the Arles Book and Text award 2018, Wellcome Trust photography prize 2019 and is winner of the Renaissance Series Prize 2017. His Arts Council funded, Solo show, ‘Before They Were Fallen’ also received significant exposure. It toured the UK and reflects an interest in aftermath that has taken him, previously to Libya, Afghanistan, Haiti and Kosovo. He has worked extensively for some of the UK’s best known magazines and has been published internationally over a period of many years. He has twice been a finalist at the National Portrait Gallery portraiture award and is held in their permanent collection. He lectures, exhibits internationally and makes short films.

In episode 236, Louis discusses, among other things:

• How the subject of his book, his big brother Justin, is doing
• Childhood with his schizophrenic mum
• Why he believes firmly in the importance of tolerance
• The way that he approached telling his brother’s story
• Some of the structural and political issues that impact people with mental health issues
• The importance of not over-focussing on some of the un-pc language that some of us use in daily life (including me, in this example)
• How he found his way into photography
• His portrait series ‘Aftermath’ which began in Kosovo
• His career as a jobbing editorial photographer
• HIs latest project about air pollution

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“I’m not judgemental, I’m quite tolerant, and I do think that’s an important quaility that’s very much overlooked, especially these days on Twitter when everyone’s reacting to stuff all the time. I don’t like that. I’m really just into giving people a bit of space an allowing people to make some mistakes.”

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