At the Flickr Foundation, we view Flickr as a ‘living archive.’ The more we interact with it, the more we can understand, capture and communicate its cultural value. Our research fellowships invite thought leaders from various disciplines to interact with the Flickr archive to further their own work, and in doing so help preserve this historic collection.
Our research is guided by ethical, anti-extractive principles that acknowledge photography’s complex social histories and the contemporary challenges of networked data stewardship. Where possible, we aim to keep our research documentation and publications open-facing and accessible.
My name is Oreoluwa Ifamodupe Akinyode and I am so honored to be a 2025 Flickr Foundation Research Fellow! As a griot telling and carrying stories through the language of photography, film, writing, and music, I am called to multimedia practices that allow me honor and preserve one’s legacy. With this passion I call on the prayer-filled archival practices of West African oral storytelling traditions to guide me from where I am currently based, in Baltimore, Maryland.
Developing a novel methodology for community research using photographic archives from Flickr. Through workshops, Prakash reactivated the Flickr archive with researchers to prompt conversations and speak to contemporary issues (e.g. protests in Lebanon, counter-mapping the Euphrates, U.S.-Mexico border wall).
We are always looking for talented people to dive into the archives in new and interesting ways. If you’d like to be a Flickr Foundation Research Fellow, check out the links below.
