Daniel Campbell Blight

General interests: history and theory of photography; photography and philosophy; art writing; the essay; art history; contemporary art; media philosophy; sociology of race; philosophy of race.

Research specialisms: photography and literature; photography and fictionality; photography and the essay; photography and critical race studies; photography and critical whiteness studies; photography and magic; photography and esoteric cultural histories; spirit photography; photography in the occultation of surrealism.

Daniel C. Blight is a writer based in London. He is lecturer in Historical & Critical Studies in Photography, School of Media, University of Brighton; visiting lecturer in Critical & Historical Studies, School of Arts & Humanities, Royal College of Art and an editor at The Photographers’ Gallery.

His writing – which ranges from fiction and poetry to various forms of the essay – has been published by 1000 Words, Aperture, American Suburb X, Foam, frieze, The Guardian, Notes on Metamodernism, Philosophy of Photography, Photoworks and Source. He has contributed writing to artist’s books, gallery and museum publications in the UK and internationally, including Manchester Art Gallery; UCL Art Museum; Art Museum of Estonia; FOMU, Belgium and the Australian Centre for Photography. His writing has been translated into Chinese, Dutch, Estonian, French and Russian. In 2018 he was shortlisted for the School of Visual Arts New York prize for critical writing on photography.

Published Writing

2018

Esther Teichmann: "Of Water and Triangles", in 1000 Words 10th anniversary print edition, UK

'KOUD, SAAI, BLEEK: Het beeld van blankheid' (Cold, Dull, Ashen: The Image of Whiteness), EXTRA magazine, Foto Museum, Antwerp, Belgium

'White Gaze': Michelle Dizon and Viêt Lê, 1000 Words, UK

'Be it in light or shadow: Photography and the Essay', Viewpoints, The Photographers' Gallery, UK

2017

'Claimed Memories of Previous Lives', in Foam, Amsterdam

'Path to Clouds', in Periodo Ipotetico, T14 Contemporary, Milan

Incoming: Photography, Contemporary Art, Whiteness, American Suburb X, USA

Talking to Myself About Death: Edgar Martins' Siloquies and Soliloquies on Death, Life and Other Interludes, 1000 Words, UK

2016

'Garden Dwelling', 'Folly and Behaviour', 'My Private Chamber', in Coco Crampton, Bowers – from form to public, Belmacz, London, UK

The Time of Prison Writing: Amy Elkins' Black is the Day Black is the Night, 1000 Words, UK

Pieces of Me (on Louise Parker), Foam, Amsterdam

Photography's Technofiction, (on Technological Exaptation by Maxime Guyon), Foam, Amsterdam

Semen of the Sun, BKN Magazine, UK

Dreamtime: Wolfgang Tillmans' EU Posters, 1000 Words, UK

Stan Douglas' The Secret Agent, 1000 Words, UK

A Pixel is a Note of Birdsong, Source, N. Ireland

Writing to Resolution, Loose Associations (The Photographers' Gallery), UK

2015

It's time to liberate arts education, the Guardian, UK

Photography Is Not Magic: Photographic Images and their Digital Spirit, American Suburb X, USA

'Cold Children' in Pat Flynn, Half-life of a Miracle, Manchester Art Gallery, UK

'A Cloud to the Back', in Re-Launch, UCL Art Museum, London, UK

'Magpie (For Anxious Objects)' in Kate McMillan, Anxious Objects, Moana Project Space, Perth, Australia

Those Windows Left Open, Chandelier Projects, UK

Bill Henson’s 1985, 1000 Words, UK

2014

Fashionable Nonsense: On Writing and Collective Narcissism in Contemporary Art, KUNSTForum, Norway

This Man Stands Alone: Some Thoughts on Photography and Collaboration, Photoworks, UK

Black in the Rose Garden, Sarah Jones at Anton Kern gallery, Aperture, USA

Kaido Ole, exhibition review,ﾠfrieze, UK

State Business (on Mari Bastashevski), Aperture, USA

2013

Two Places, on the work of Jeremy Millar, Chandelier Projects, UK

'TV Casualty' in TV Casualty, Brad Feuerhelm/Archive of Modern Conflict, UK

'Underneath' in Notes on Space: Photos by Paul Kuimet, Art Museum of Estonia

The Failing Grid, Chandelier Projects, UK

What happened to the expert curator?, the Guardian, UK

Writing an artist statement?, the Guardian, UK

Photography, Imperfection, Education, Notes on Metamodernism, UK

The Animal That Therefore I am: Justin Coombes’ Halcyon Song, SEESAW Magazine, UK

2012

Photography and the Fanatical Gaze in Åsa Johannesson’s Belonging, Philosophy and Photography, Intellect, UK.

'Photographing Apples' in Melanie Stidolph: The Fall, Self-published by the artist with support from Arts Council England, UK

Index of Time – Tereza Zelenkova, Peter Watkins and Oliver Shamlou, Photomonitor, London

Photographing Apples, Various Small Fires, UK

Nothing to be confused about: Out of Focus: Photography at Saatchi Gallery, Source Photographic Review, N. Ireland

The Animal That Therefore I am: Justin Coombes’ Halcyon Song, ﾠPhotomonitor, UK

The Silence of Photographic Testimony: Anthony Luvera’s Residency, Photomonitor, UK

History and Texture: Zarina Bhimji at Whitechapel Gallery, Photomonitor, UK.

2011

Please Don’t Mistake These Pictures For Photographs: Elad Lassry at White Cube, Photomonitor, UK.

A Magnitude in Albion: Andrew Lacon at Norwich OUTPOST, This Is Tomorrow, UK.

Tallinn Photomonth 2011, 1000 Words Magazine, UK.

'Some Fiction and Two Polemics on Photography' in MAPS 2011, University of Westminster, ﾠUK.

'Fixing at the Point of Disappearance' in Haunting the Chapel: Photography and Dissolution, Daniel Blau, London/Munich.

People in Trouble Laughing Pushed to the Ground: Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin, 1000 Words, UK.

Diorama Maps: Sohei Nishino, Hotshoe International, London/New York.

2010

An Introduction to the Ephemeral in Photography, Hotshoe International, London/New York.

'Les Amants' in Les Amants, Noemie Goudal, self-published by the artist, UK.

Photography Should Build a Tent: The Photography of Stuart Bailes, Hotshoe International, London/New York.

Elisions: The Photography of Darren Harvey-Regan, Hotshoe International, London/New York.

Confessions/Form: The Photography of David Birkin, Hotshoe International, London/New York.

2009

The Night Obscures the Spirit of the Place: The Photography of Rut Blees Luxemburg, Hotshoe International, London/New York.

'On Land' in On Land, Fulham Palace Gallery, London.

Marcus Munnely’s In the Scene, Hotshoe International, London/New York.

Fragmented Narrative of a Remote Island: The Photography of Noemie Goudal, Hotshoe International, London/New York.

'Butterfly' in Butterfly, Fulham Palace Gallery, UK.

The Grapes Are Sour Anyway! The Photography of Karen Knorr, Hotshoe International, London/New York.

'Just Kissing' in Just Kissing: Michael Grossbard, Jonathan Murphy and Paul Simon Richards, Fulham Palace Gallery, UK.

'Metaphorising Infrastructure' in Pumping Station, Marcin Dudek, self-published by the artist UK. 

2008

'What Keeps the Light From Reaching Us' in What Keeps the Light From Reaching Us: Robert Nicol, Fulham Palace Gallery, UK.

'Proximity and Abstraction' in Proximity and Abstraction: Mikael Gregorsky and Abbe Leight Fletcher, Fulham Palace Gallery, UK.

'Listening' in ARC10, journal of the Royal College of Art, UK.

Presentations

2018

The Image of Whiteness, Photography Studies College, Melbourne, Australia

2017

White Whirlwind: From Racial Equivalence to Anti-whiteness, introduction to the symposium What Should White Culture Do?, commissioned by Art on the Underground and hosted by the Royal College of Art, UK

Squid-Eye Thinking: Does Photography Need Theory?, pic.london festival and symposium, Fyvie Hall, Univeristy of Westminster, UK

Photography, Death and Reincarnation, Photo Oxford festival and symposium, Weston Library, Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford, UK 

2012

Beyond: Solipsism and Curating, Photo Tallinn festival, Tallinn, Estonia

Solipsism's Object: The Punctum as Doxa, Swansea University, Wales 

2008

Structural Listening, conference for doctoral research in sound arts, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Edited Publications

2017

Co-editor (with Natasha Plowright and Ruby Wroe), Wim Wenders & 4 Saints in 3 Acts, Loose Associations, Vol.3, Issue 3, The Photographers' Gallery, UK

Co-editor (with Natasha Plowright), Gregory Crewdson, Loose Associations Vol.3, Issue 2, The Photographers' Gallery, UK

Co-editor (with Natasha Plowright and Karen McQuaid), Roger Mayne, Loose Associations Vol.3, Issue 1, The Photographers' Gallery, UK 

2016

Co-editor (with Natasha Plowright), Feminism, Loose Associations Vol. 2, Issue 4, The Photographers' Gallery, UK

Co-editor (with Natasha Plowright), Dandyism and Black Masculinity, Loose Associations Vol. 2, Issue 3, The Photographers' Gallery, UK

Co-editor (with Natasha Plowright), Photography & Drawing, Loose Associations Vol. 2, Issue 2, The Photographers' Gallery, UK

Co-editor (with Natasha Plowright), Loose Associations Vol. 2, Issue 1, The Photographers' Gallery, UK 

2015

Co-editor (with Natasha Plowright), Loose Associations Vol. 1, The Photographers' Gallery, UK

Exhibitions (as Curator or Co-curator) 

2015

Ziggurat: Claire Hooper and Paul Simon Richards, Edel Assanti, UK

Without: Sally Underwood and Roxy Walsh, Chandelier Projects, UK

As You Walked in the Room: Jonathan Murphy, Chandelier Projects, UK

Face Down: Amy Petra Woodward, Chandelier Projects, UK

2014

Terra Conductor: Judith Goddard, Chandelier Projects, UK

Foreplay: Tom Owen, Chandelier Projects, UK

Holy Island: Grant Foster, Chandelier Projects, UK

London Dust:ﾠRut Blees Luxemburg and Keef Winter, Chandelier Projects, UK 

2013

Jeremy Millar (solo), Chandelier Projects, UK

Unnatural Selection, Unseen Photo Fair, Amsterdam, Netherlands. Co-curated with Brad Feuerhelm

Moves: Darren Harvey-Regan, Jonathan Murphy, Tom Owen, Amy Petra Woodward, chandelier projects, London 

2011

On the Ephemeral in Photography: Ori Gersht, Rut Blees Luxemburg, David Maisel, Julian Stallabrass, Steffi Klenz, Mikael Gregorsky, Jeff Millikan, Jefferson Hayman and Frederic Fontenoy, Hotshoe Gallery, London and London Art Fair, Art Projects. Co-curated with Brad Feuerhelm). 

2010

Noemie Goudal: Les Amants, Hotshoe Gallery, London.

Edgar Martins: A Metaphysical Survey of British Dwellings and Dwarf Exoplanets, Hotshoe Gallery, London.

Untitled Group Show: Karen Knorr, Rut Blees Luxemburg, Claire Strand, Melanie Manchot and AnnaﾠLinderstam, Hotshoe Gallery, London.

2009

Re-enactors: Jim Naughten, Hotshoe Gallery, London.

On Land: Erich Gruber, David M Price and Francesca Owen, Fulham Palace Gallery, London.

Butterfly: Catrin Morgan and Rachel Pedder-Smith, Fulham Palace Gallery, London.

Just Kissing: Jonathan Murphy, Paul Richards and Michael Grossbard, Fulham Palace Gallery, London.

What Keeps the Light From Reaching Us: Robert Nicol, Fulham Palace Gallery, London.

2008

Proximity and Abstraction: Mikael Gregorsky and Abbe Leigh-Fletcher, Fulham Palace Gallery, London.

Awards and Bursaries 

Shorlisted, School of Visual Arts New York-Cross Purposes Foundation Award for Critical Writing, 2018

Grants for the Arts, Arts Council England, 2015.

Second Prize (with David Toop's Laptop Orchestra), Guardian Media Awards, 2009.

Royal College of Art research bursary, 2008/9.

Royal College of Art research bursary, 2006/7.