‘IN CONVERSATION’ with Ms Holly Painter– “The Obsolete Jobs Project”

Many once-common occupations (e.g., milkman, blacksmith, sign-painter) are now becoming obsolete as a result of automation, technology, outsourcing, and changes in tastes and laws. In 2014, Holly Painter set out on a 7500km road trip around the eastern United States to interview and photograph workers who still do these jobs and to find out what’s changed, what hasn’t, and what the loss of these professions tells us about our communities. The Obsolete Jobs Project has a U.S. focus, but the same thing is happening in Singapore. What is lost and what is gained as a society becomes richer, more efficient, and more technologically advanced?