🎙️ Welcome to Ep. #72 of The Urbanaut Podcast presented in collaboration with @Urbanautica. In this unforgettable conversation, we’re joined by Italian photographer Valerio Geraci, whose work straddles the poetic and the documentary, weaving themes of identity, memory, and place.

About Our Guest: Valerio Geraci

Born in Palermo and based in Paris, Valerio Geraci left behind a legal career to pursue a lifelong passion for photography. His acclaimed body of work includes “American Eden”, a long-term exploration of American landscapes shaped by childhood nostalgia, and “Little Italy”, an ongoing project tracing forgotten Italian stories across rural America. His photography blends technical mastery with deep narrative insight, and his images have been exhibited internationally and featured in publications such as Vogue France, Monocle, and AD Magazine. He is also a faculty member at the Paris College of Art.

Tune in to this episode to:

- Hear how a book — “East of Eden” — changed Valerio’s life trajectory.

- Explore the making of “American Eden” and the cultural weight of nostalgia.

- Discover the hidden histories behind “Little Italy” and the Italian diaspora in America.

- Reflect on the tension between freedom and responsibility in creative work.

Don’t forget to:

- Subscribe to our channel for more in-depth artist interviews.

- Like and share to support independent photography and storytelling.

- Follow us on socials for updates and behind-the-scenes content.

EPISODE LINKS:

Valerio's Website: www.valeriogeraci.com | Valerio’s Instagram: @valeriogeraci

OUTLINE:

0:00 - Coming Up..

1:58 - Opening & Meeting at Paris Foto

3:50 - From Palermo to Paris: Valerio’s Background

4:56 - The Shift from Law to Photography

8:23 - Influences: Robert Capa, Cuba, and Timshel

14:32 - Family Support & Decision to Move to Paris

19:06 - Starting Out as a Photographer

22:12 - Craft, Discipline & Finding a Visual Voice

27:17 - Childhood Fascination with America

32:29 - American Eden: Origins and Meaning

40:50 - Photography Style: Interiors, Landscapes & Light

51:56 - “Your Camera is Your Passport”

1:01:19 - Meeting James: A Friendship in Nebraska

1:13:45 - Why Nebraska? Love for the American Midwest

1:20:56 - Little Italy: Discovering Italian Legacies in the U.S.

1:32:13 - Cemeteries, Stories & Cultural Echoes

1:43:36 - Macaroni Line, Alamo, and Future of the Project

SOCIAL:

Twitter: /UrbanautPodcast

Facebook: /TheUrbanautPodcast

Instagram: /TheUrbanautPodcast

Support on Patreon: /TheUrbanautPodcast

#ValerioGeraci #TheUrbanautPodcast #Photography #AmericanEden #LittleItaly #ItalianDiaspora #DocumentaryPhotography #ArtisticAwakening #VisualStorytelling #urbanautica #stevebisson #PatrickLeeHubbard

🎙️ Welcome to Ep. #71 of The Urbanaut Podcast, presented in collaboration with Urbanautica.com. In this compelling episode, we welcome Canadian photographer and educator Kate Schneider, whose emotionally resonant work explores the deep ties between land, memory, and identity. From the protest camps of the American Midwest to intimate still lifes of ancient rocks, Kate’s evolving visual language challenges traditional documentary practice and embraces poetic, sensory experience.

About Our Guest: Kate Schneider

Kate Schneider is an artist of settler ancestry living in Tkaronto (Toronto), deeply rooted in the ecology and history of the Great Lakes region. With a background in both photojournalism and fine art, her practice traverses multiple disciplines, from long-form documentary to deeply personal and experimental photographic works. Kate's recent series—How to Understand a Rock, We, the Heartland, and Landscapes of Resistance—meditate on protest, place, and the unspoken emotional geographies that shape our relationships with the non-human world. Her work has been widely exhibited across North America and published internationally. She also teaches photography at OCAD University in Toronto.

Tune in to this episode to:

• Discover how neurodivergence shaped Kate’s entry into photography and her pursuit of mindfulness through image-making.
• Explore the intersection of activism and artistic ethics through her documentation of the Keystone XL pipeline and Standing Rock protests.
• Learn how a transition from traditional documentary led Kate to create more introspective, poetic works involving geology, animacy, and memory.
• Understand her personal connection to land, and why questions of “home” and “belonging” are central to her creative inquiry.

EPISODE LINKS:

Kate’s Website: www.kateschneider.net
Kate’s Instagram: @kateschneider

OUTLINE:

0:00 – Coming Up…

2:18 – Welcome and Personal Roots

6:48 – Photography as Neurodivergent Expression

12:45 – Education and Early Influences

18:33 – Art vs. Journalism Identity Struggles

26:49 – Land, Identity, and Emotional Geography

34:18 – Conceptual Foundations and Motivations

43:10 – Pipeline Resistance: We, the Heartland

49:49 – Protest Camps and Landscapes of Resistance

57:00 – Existential Crisis and Activist Ethics

1:09:27 – Visualizing Home and Temporary Structures

1:18:45 – Post-2017 Artistic Recalibration

1:23:04 – Geology, Objects, and Intimacy

1:32:20 – Photography as Visual Poetics

1:38:18 – Artistic Legacy and Personal Growth

2:02:18 – Closing Reflections and Looking Ahead

SOCIAL:

Twitter: /UrbanautPodcast

Facebook: /TheUrbanautPodcast

Instagram: /TheUrbanautPodcast

Support on Patreon: /TheUrbanautPodcast

#KateSchneider #TheUrbanautPodcast #Photography #EnvironmentalArt #Geopoetics #ActivismThroughArt #NeurodivergentCreativity #ContemporaryPhotography #ArtandEcology #VisualPoetics #urbanautica #stevebisson #PatrickLeeHubbard

🎙️ Welcome to Ep. #70 of The Urbanaut Podcast, presented in collaboration with Urbanautica.com. In this compelling episode, we journey into the richly layered world of Iranian artist-photographer Alireza Malekian. From early experiments in visual communication to his long-term project Defamiliarizing Iran, Alireza invites us to question what a photograph can be—and how it shapes, and is shaped by, the landscapes and cultures it captures.

About Our Guest: Alireza Malekian

Born in Mashhad, Iran, and based in Tehran, Alireza Malekian is a visual artist, researcher, and writer whose work interrogates the intersection of urban environment, cultural identity, and photographic language. A graduate in Illustration with deep roots in graphic design and poetry, Alireza has become known for his conceptual approach to photography—merging experimental technique with documentary intention. His work explores the psychological and political layers of place, often transforming everyday cityscapes into complex visual inquiries. Through projects like Defamiliarizing Iranand Phantom Tehran, he challenges both Western perceptions and internal cultural clichés.

Tune in to this episode to:

- Explore how personal history, displacement, and memory influence visual storytelling.

- Learn about Defamiliarizing Iran, a powerful long-term series that blends manipulation, ambiguity, and visual sequencing.

- Discover how photography can become a tool for both civic engagement and existential reflection.

- Understand Alireza’s deep commitment to honesty, representation, and the evolving role of the artist.

EPISODE LINKS:

Alireza’s Website: www.alirezamalekian.com | Instagram: @alireza.malekian

CHAPTERS

0:00 – Coming Up...

2:15 – Welcome & Recording from Iran

3:08 – Alireza’s Background and Artistic Roots

5:33 – Graphic Design, Poetry, and Early Experiments

7:04 – Why Photography Became His Medium

10:10 – Photography as a Way to Explore Urban Life

12:25 – Learning Through Books, Not Institutions

16:06 – Childhood, Memory, and Attraction to Landscapes

18:33 – Developing a Personal Voice and Artistic Questioning

22:22 – Challenging Stereotypes and Defamiliarizing Iran

25:55 – Artistic Influences: Persian Miniatures to Kiarostami

30:23 – Creating Early Series and Methodical Approaches

38:00 – Photography as a Tool for Belonging

40:41 – The Philosophy and Process Behind Defamiliarizing Iran

52:12 – On Visual Ethics and Representing Truthfully

1:06:42 – Grief and Transformation in Bleed, Despair, Solas

1:16:27 – Long-term Narratives in As I Walked Within

1:24:45 – New Work: Phantom Tehran and Cultural Complexity

1:44:49 – Becoming Participant vs. Observer

1:53:24 – Advice on Artistic Growth and Taking Criticism

Don’t forget to:

- Subscribe for more deep dives into the world of photography and visual culture.
- Like this episode to support our mission of thoughtful art dialogue.
- Share with anyone passionate about photography, culture, or documentary work.

SOCIAL:

Twitter: /UrbanautPodcast
Facebook: /TheUrbanautPodcast
Instagram: /TheUrbanautPodcast
Support on Patreon: /TheUrbanautPodcast

#AlirezaMalekian #TheUrbanautPodcast #Photography #IranianArt #VisualCulture #DefamiliarizingIran #UrbanPhotography #ExpandedPhotography #ArtTheory #urbanautica #PatrickLeeHubbard #SteveBisson