Event location: Goethe-Institut, 50 Princes Gate, Exhibition Rd, London SW7 2PH

Satellite photography allows us to scrutinise the impact of war or climate change, from the safe distance of orbit. But one thing is rarely captured: the event itself. All we can read is its effect on a space, and that’s where the architectural expert is required, to fill the gap with a narrative. Eyal and Ines Weizman's essay was first published in 2012 by Strelka Press under the title "Before & After. Documenting the Architecture of Disaster". It explores the history of the before-and-after image, from its origins in 19th-century Paris to today’s satellite surveillance. State militaries monitor us and humanitarian organisations monitor them. But who can see in higher resolution? Who controls the size of the pixels? Interpreting these images is never straightforward.

During this afternoon, Eyal and Ines Weizman will discuss Before & After photography with Marie Glassl as part of a new translation of the book into German that will be published by Diaphanes, Berlin.