REVIEW PANELS at the Vienna Photo Book Festival
Vienna Photo Book Festival logo
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THE REVIEW PANELS AT THE VIENNA PHOTO BOOK FESTIVAL
(From the website)
Publishers, gallery owners, curators, critics and collectors representing small, mid-sized, and major venues from all over Europe, will gather in Vienna to review unpublished photo books. 30 photographers will be selected to show their photobook dummies to15 national and international reviewers.
Our goal is to offer talented photographers from around the world a forum to discuss their books with a wide range of photography experts, thereby producing a lively dialogue between the aspiring artists and the experts from various prestigious institutions.
Photographers will have one-on-one meetings with the reviewers. Each review session will last 20 minutes and we will limit the number of participants to assure that everyone receives six reviews each. It is a great way to network. Numerous photographers have walked away with opportunities to publish, exhibit and sell their work after attending such reviews.
Vicky and I submitted our ‘You are here’ book to be considered for the Vienna Photo Book Festival Reviews. ‘You are here’, that considers our place on planet Earth within the solar system and has also been a finalist in a couple of artists book awards in Australia over the last 9 months. Additionally the State Libraries of Queensland and Victoria have collected this artists’ book.
You are here…
At the end of April we were advised that our submission for the review session had been successful. At this time we were asked to suggest six possible reviewers from their list to look at our book. We selected the following:
- Gerry Badger, photographer, curator, photo critics, architect UK. http://www.gerrybadger.com
- Peter Gössner, collector, Austria.
- Rob van Hoesel, The Eriskay Connection, The Netherlands. http://www.eriskayconnection.com
- Hannes Wanderer, Peperoni Books, 25 books, Germany. http://www.peperoni-books.de
- Matej Sitar, The Angry Bat, Slovenia. http://www.matejsitar.com
- Manfred Zollner, fotomagazin, Germany.
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Regina Maria Anzenberger opens the Reviews
On Friday 9th we excitedly waited outside the Anzenberger Gallery with 30 other finalists who came from all over Europe. The reviewers were assembled and Regina Anzenberger opened the event and advised participants of the process – 20 minutes each, then a bell is rung, and the next review gets underway. Sufficient time is given for reviewers and photographers to take breaks and have lunch.
Isa Maria rings the bell
The bell rang and we sat down with photobook aficionado Gerry Badger. He asked to look at the book first, so we silently sat as he turned the pages of our concertina book as a codex. Badger said he loved it and couldn’t improve on it as an object and visual narrative. We then spoke about other things including his latest project documenting graffiti in Italy. He then pulled out his prints to share with us… an interesting project he has been working on over many years. The bell soon rang and we moved on to the next reviewer.
Over the next few hours we met with the other reviewers. The responses we received acknowledged the beauty of the object and the work’s ‘challenge’ to accepted photobook practice. Most of the attendees were looking for publishers for the ‘dummy’ book that they were presenting. As ours was a resolved work and more of an object/artwork rather than a publishable codex-based photo-project, there was not much room for suggestions. However many points emerged from the discussions that will inform future directions for new work from the project.
The review tables
It was a warm Vienna day and review participants gathered outside the gallery when their work was not being reviewed. We actively connected with these photobook makers – a fascinating experience as we were meeting members of with representatives of a united nations of photobooks – Russians, French, Austrians, Polish and Czech, German, Hungarian and Slovakian. Most spoke English and from these new ‘friends’ we had instant contacts to see their works for sale in the Book and Print Sale Festival event.
After the seeing the books, the reviewers discuss the projects/books and the winner of the Vienna Photo Book Award was determined. The 1st prize winner receives a book publishing contract from Anzenberger Edition which covers production costs of Euro 5,000.
On Saturday evening the winner of the 4th Vienna Photo Book Award was announced. The winners were Nadine Schlieper and Robert Pufleb with their photobook ‘Alternative Moons’.
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The winner
Here are photos of some of our fellow review participants
Lore Horre
Mariya_Kozhanova
Thomaz Laczny
Paul Grandsard
Denis Esakov
Natalia Baluta
SEE ALSO:
The LECTURE
The EVENT
https://wotwedid.com/2017/06/18/aunz-photobooks-the-vienna-photo-book-festival/
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MORE THAN THE COVER: Judging the Photobook of the Year
The Finalists…
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Recently in Auckland and Melbourne two groups of photobook aficionadas and aficionados assembled before 31 and 71 books respectively, and worked as a team to decide which of the books before them were exemplary of contemporary photobooks and, if consensus could prevail, which book – in each location, was the ‘best’ photobook.
The selection process is based on a ‘Judging Criteria’ that has been developed and enhanced over the many years of the awards which states that the judges will review each entry to assess the:
- excellence of the photography, design, layout, typography and cover art
- quality of the photo editing and sequencing to create an engaging visual narrative
- ability of any additional imagery, text or ephemera to enhance the story in the photographs and/or book
- appropriateness of the photography, design and format for the book’s intended purpose and audience
As the definition of a photobook remains broad, from photozines to trade coffee table books, a key consideration for the judging panel is to evaluate the ‘appropriateness’ of the book in the context of its ‘intended purpose and audience’. This aspect of the Criteria creates an opportunity for diverse products to be sensitively and fairly assessed.
The AuPOTY judges: Heidi Romano, Helen Frajman, Victoria Cooper, Daniel Boetker-Smith and Emma Phillips
The judging panel is purposefully selected to include experts in photography, design and book publishing. Each year these judges are changed to allow for representatives from different backgrounds, locations, gender, industry areas including design, publishing, media, cultural institution, academia, retail, art and commercial worlds.
Additionally judges weren’t allowed to score or advocate for books in which potential conflict of interest may cause problems. This is a particularly important issue as our photobook communities in Australia and New Zealand are small and connected.
The Photobook of the Year – 5 stage judging process:
Stage 1. A PDF of each book was forwarded to the judges in advance for them to gauge a preliminary impression of the book, its visual nature, content and narrative. Each judge completed a ‘first impression’ top 10 books spread sheet and provided feedback in the form of a comment and score for the books that they had selected.
Stage 2. The judges met and participated in some introductory discussions about the award and the processes that were to follow. After that the books were laid out on tables enabling the judges to encounter the physical and haptic experience of each book. Another ‘score sheet’ was provided so that judges could quantify their response to each book. While this review was basically carried out individually some casual discussion took place between judges. Many judges were to comment that seeing the ‘real’ book was surprisingly different from the impression that they had gained from the PDF screen view.
NzPOTY Judging team included Jonty Valentine, Anne Noble, Layla Tweedie-Cullen, Haru Sameshima, Ron Brownson and Doug Spowart PHOTO: From Facebook post
Stage 3. The judges score sheets were tallied resulting in a group of books being selected for round-table review and discussion. From this group activity the finalists were determined. In the AuPOTY 12 books were selected and in NzPOTY 10 made the finalist list. It should be noted that judge/s disclosed any involvement or potential conflict of interest with particular books or association that they may have with the author.
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Stage 4. In this, the final stage, the judges debated the relative attributes of the books working towards a point where consensus over the ultimate winner could be determined as well as any books deserving of ‘Commended’ awards could be made. This stage of the process was interesting to participate in or to observe, as the many differing opinions of what constitutes the ‘contemporary photobook’ made for a lively and informative debate.
A consensus was to be achieved in both judgings and the results were:
Australian Photobook of the Year Winner:
Astres Noirs by Katrin Koenning & Sarker Protick, published by Chose Commune
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AuPOTY WINNER: Astres Noirs by Katrin Koenning & Sarker Protick & Published by Chose Commune
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Recipients of Commended awards were:
- Elsewhere by Fuad Osmancevic
- J.W. by Clare Steele
- Memorandum by Ana Paula Estrada
- Some Want Quietly by Drew Pettifer, Published by M.33
- Surface Phenomena by Bartolomeo Celestino, Published by Perimeter Editions
FINALISTS
- Bird by Gary Heery
- Courts 02 by Ward Roberts & Editions
- Elemental by Rohan Hutchinson
- Golden Triangle by Hannah Nikkelson
- Kinglake by Jade Byrnes
- Two Pandanus Trees Side by Side by Aaron Claringbold
Page views, the judges and other book details of the AuPOTY can be seen HERE
APOTY Website
New Zealand Photobook of the Year Joint Winners:
- Rannoch by Simon Devitt
- Touchy by Evangeline Davis
Rannoch by Simon Devitt PHOTO: From the NzPOTY Website
Touchy by Evangeline Davis PHOTO: From the NzPOTY website
Recipients of Commended awards were:
- As the Road Bends by Blair Barclay
- Duplex City by Blair Kitchener
FINALISTS
- Conversations With My Mother by Shelley Ashford
- R&S Satay Noodle House by Sally Young
- Soap and Water by Bronwyn McKenzie
- Someone’s Mana by Michael Krzanich
- The Shops by Peter Black
- Watching the fishes go by by Niki Boon
Page views, the judges and other book details of the NzPOTY can be seen HERE
NzPOTY Website
The travelling exhibition of the POTY winners and finalists
A&NZ Photobooks of the Year 2015 @ Maud Gallery in Brisbane PHOTO: Doug Spowart
STAGE 5. In each country visitors to the AuNzPOTY exhibitions in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane are invited to vote for their favourite book, and the winner receives $500 cash + $2,000 printing credit with Momento Pro. The winner will be announced via a Photobook of the Year Awards email later in the year. Subscribe at awards@photobookoftheyear.com.au.
Some personal observations and comments about the judging
As a witness to one of the judgings (AuPOTY), and a participant judge in the other (NzPOTY) I have reflected on the process and the salient issues, topics and well-discussed points and prepared this comment piece. I might add that these are based on my recollections of the proceedings as well as my personal thoughts gained from my involvement.
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The universal definition of what is a photobook remains illusive. What judges think, what the entrants or others may think is a photobook may never be resolved. Although the perception of what a photobook might be does effect every aspect of the awards influencing who might enter and what their expectations of the award may be.
Also what is the nature of the selected finalists, and what book wins the awards, sends out a message to the broad range of people interested in photobooks to confirm or challenge their idea of what a photobook is.
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Who made the book? Is it self-published? Or was it trade published? Was it a collaboration – did it involve a single photographer or multiple photographers with editor/s, publisher and designer/s? As all have a bearing on the book as a creative product or a commercial outcome.
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What was the purpose for the book…? Is it for general consumers, niche markets or a personal record bound in book form?
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Much discussion centred around concepts relating to design style, tricks of printing and binding, different papers, round fore edge corners, trendy layouts, typography, embellishments and packaging. Some books were considered derivative as certain features were part of last year’s trend or were recognised as being influenced by/taken/copied/borrowed from a recent well-known successful book. Therefore books with original concepts were held in higher esteem.
The question begs to be asked… at what point do any of these ‘derivative’ features become recognised as a visual style/form or narrative effect that contributes to the book communiqué?
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The meaning and implications of collaboration.
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Artist’s statements were often poorly written, or overtly academic ‘artspeak’.
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One important consideration was that the book was as a total package where all of its components; concept, content, design, production values and binding were seen as creating a total creative entity.
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Some common phrases from the judges were:
- Fabric of construction
- Economical
- I wish I’d made that…
- If only I could have had those images to edit…
In conclusion:
The Patrons for Australian and New Zealand Photobook of the Year Awards are Libby Jeffery and Geoff Hunt of MomentoPro. They have funded prizes, coordinating the judging process: including judge selection, announcement events and exhibitions. Partners in the awards include Heidi Romano from Unless You Will, Photography Studies College Melbourne and in New Zealand f11 Online magazine. Over 6 years these awards have championed photobook publishing activity and discourse and as such created a record of contemporary photobook practice in the antipodes.
The Australian and New Zealand Photobook of the Year 2016 will tour nationally in 2017… Visit the Photobook of the Year website for details.
Dr Doug Spowart
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TEXT: ©2017 Doug Spowart
PHOTOs: ©2017 Doug Spowart (unless indicated otherwise)
ANNOUNCEMENT: The 2016 Australian Photobook of the Year Award
Momento Pro and UNLESS YOU WILL joined forces to present the 2016 Australian Photobook of the Year Awards culminating with a presentation in Melbourne on February 17, 2017.
The awards were open to unpublished, self-published or trade published photo books by Australian citizens and residents. The Australian Photobook of the Year Awards celebrates excellence and innovation in photobook creation and also showcases the work of Australian photographers to a growing local and international audience.
THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE WINNER
Libby Jeffery talking about the Award
A group of around 70 photobook makers, collectors, commentators and others interested in the discipline attended a presentation of the finalist books and the announcement of the overall winner at Magic Johnston in Melbourne on February 17, 2017. Brief speeches were presented by UNLESS YOU WILL’s founder Heidi Romano and MomentoPro’s Libby Jeffery were followed by the announcement of Katrin Koenning & Sarker Protick’s Astres Noirs as the winner. The Commended awards were also announced and attendees were able to experience the finalist’s books first-hand.
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THE WINNER: Astres Noirs by Katrin Koenning & Sarker Protick & Chose Commune
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APOTY WINNER: Astres Noirs by Katrin Koenning & Sarker Protick & Chose Commune
THE 2016 APOTY FINALISTS
- Astres Noirs by Katrin Koenning & Sarker Protick & Chose Commune Winner
- Elsewhere by Fuad Osmancevic Commended
- J.W. by Clare Steele Commended
- Memorandum by Ana Paula Estrada Commended
- Some Want Quietly by Drew Pettifer & M.33 Commended
- Surface Phenomena by Bartolomeo Celestino & Perimeter Editions Commended
- Bird by Gary Heery
- Courts 02 by Ward Roberts & Editions
- Elemental by Rohan Hutchinson
- Golden Triangle by Hannah Nikkelson
- Kinglake by Jade Byrnes
- Two Pandanus Trees Side by Side by Aaron Claringbold
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A detailed report and images of the winner and commended books can be seen on the Australian Photobook of the Year Website – HERE
ALL photographs ©2017 Doug Spowart
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ZINES IN MELBOURNE: Sticky Institute’s Festival of the Photocopier
Town Hall foyer sign
On Sunday 12 February the Melbourne Town Hall and was packed with sellers, lookers and buyers attending the Sticky Institute’s Festival of the Photocopier Zine Fair. At a guess, there could have been around 100 zine tables with a variety of zine-makers: both showing their own work, or representing other zinesters. For the visitor to the Fair there was an opportunity to see and handle almost any kind of communication that could put onto a sheet of paper, or into collated pages – folded, stapled, glued, stitched and sewn. Each ‘publication’ representing a personal approach to what the medium “zine” means to the author. And, as the ‘Zine’ is a slippery medium those within the discipline keep pushing the limits by integration of opportunistic technologies and ideas gleaned from contemporary media.
PHOTO: Doug Spowart – Stickies Festival of the Photocopier Zine Fair 2017
The content of the zines presented to us were from a broad church of visual and written media including: text as prose, poetry or as visual typographic forms, and calligraphy. There was a rich diversity of illustration from photo-realism to comic flat field work, photographs and even, in one sighted example – the ancient art of marbling. The narrative forms in these publications ranged from concrete poetry, prose, comic stories and disjointed stream of consciousness curated visuals.
In keeping with the tradition some zine makers aired their political opinions while others shared a fascination of contemporary everyday life. There were groups that concentrated on gender issues, music and issues of the street, while others presented dreamy naive and whimsical scenarios, adventures in suburbia, the road and outer space, nonsensical ghoulish and vampire episodes.
Our specific interest were zines based on or utilising photos sometimes referred to as photozines, as well as others that use photomontage in their narrative or conceptual work. Examples seen dealt with topics like the destruction of traditional family homes in the Chinese city of Guangzhou, skateboard stories, and a faux streetscape made up of photos of distressed buildings.
The Fair was a place to network. Greetings were made with like-minded people across the display tables and discussions took place about zines, life and art. We caught up with a few people we knew – David Dellafiora, Gracia and Louise and Glen Smith – Queensland’s zine hero Jeremy Staples was in the building somewhere but we didn’t get to meet. Zine-makers, or sellers, were keen to engage with us to tell the story of the work and where it fits with their practice and their life.
But did anyone sell anything? Many visitors were seen toting quite a few brown envelopes and calico bags filled with new additions to their personal collections. Perhaps a personal experience might shed some light on how success for such an event could be measured. It was right at the end of our shop, we had spent our budget and were talking to two young zinesters who were actually making their little photo zines on demand at their table. Their selling price was $3 and we wanted one of each but could only scrape together $5 in coin. One of the zinesters said ‘that’s fine, I’ll take the $2’, and stated that, ‘it’s important to have my zine out there…’
Being out there with your work. That is what zines are all about … your message in print as a democratic multiple … telling your story, was always what zines were about. That tradition it seems, continues…
Doug Spowart
February 13, 2017
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SOME ZINES ADDED TO OUR COLLECTION
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Trudi Treble at the Fair
Trudi Treble: united states of america – october 2017 – november 2017, my diary. #6/25.
Trudi Treble – Instagram: trud.i
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Johanna Ng at the Fair
Johanna Ng: carlingford twitter poetry
Glen Smith at the Fair
Glen Smith: Constructed Landscape
Glen Smith: https://nofrillsart.net/
Gracia and Louise
Gracia Haby: Under the water with a two-colour eye-glass, something similar (2014) #49/100
Gracia and Louise: www.gracialouise.com
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martinpf: At least we’re not your kids – a photozine. #81/100. Published by Russian Glue Press
martinpf@hotmail.co.uk. Russiangluepress@gmail.com
David Dellafiora Field Studies
Field Study (David Dellafiora): Wipe No.88
Field Study – https://daviddellafiora.blogspot.com.au/
Alice Fennessy at her table
Alice Fennessy: Blood Vessels – A collection of poems about me memories
Alice Fennessy Instagram: @alicefennessy
Claire Wakeford and her zine
Claire Wakeford: Untitled
Claire Wakeford: www.clairewakeford.com
Ning Xue: An Urban Village
Ning Xue: http://www.xuening.me/me.html
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UNTIL NEXT YEAR …
PHOTO: Doug Spowart – Sticky Institute’s Festival of the Photocopier Zine Fair 2017
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Copyright in the zines is retained by the authors. All photographs + text + video ©2017 Doug Spowart
THOMAS OLIVER’s ‘Disconnection’ exhibition & essay
Thomas Oliver – image from the series Disconnection
Thomas Oliver – image from the series Disconnection
Thomas Oliver – image from the series Disconnection
Thomas Oliver – image from the series Disconnection
Disconnection is a solo show by Brisbane photographer Thomas Oliver. The series consists of work that has been captured in London, New York, Toronto, Paris and (of course) Brisbane. The exhibition is accompanied with a catalogue essay written by Dr. Doug Spowart.
Artist’s Talk: Interview with Dr. Heather Faulkner, 11am-1pm Saturday 25th February
Full Exhibition Dates: Tuesday 13th – Saturday 25th February
Gallery Hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 10am – 4pm
Address: Project Gallery – QCA South Bank Campus, 226 Grey Street
OLIVER’s Artist Statement
Experiencing the ebb and flow of life in a capital city, it is easy to become consumed by the gurgling hum of activity. It sparks and pulses like an amped-up generator. We slip from one task to the next, leaving ourselves behind in the process. The lights flicker and the air vibrates warmly around us. And like a mad hive, our cities swarm with ghostly forms, smoothly transparent and faceless.
My Words for Thomas …
What makes photography a strange invention – with unforeseeable consequences – is that its primary raw materials are light and time.[1]
John Berger died last week. But his work will continue to reveal insights on how we perceive photographic communications. Even now I continue to hear his words in my head as I write. Most of the time his voice inhabits my writing, saying the words that I have just typed. His writing and critical thinking offered new ‘ways of seeing and looking at photographs’ – as ‘quotes’ from appearances, photos and memory. The photograph presents to us information that has connections to a reality as in Berger’s assertion, ‘A photograph arrests the flow of time in which the event photographed once existed’.[2]
But what happens when the photographic moment is slurred by slow shutter-speeds, movement of subject and camera panning? In this approach Thomas Oliver creates visual documents that could never have been seen by the photographer or an observer of the scene. These are documents of not a moment but of time passing. They transcend the instantaneous moment and suggest a visual concept of the subject’s spirit seemingly extracted by the act of photography–a tear in temporality ‘arrested’.
Francis Bacon: Three studies for a portrait of Lucian Freud 1969
Oliver’s images also have a resonance with Gilles Deleuze’s discussion on Francis Bacon’s[3] work in his 1981 book Francis Bacon: The Logic of Sensation. Deleuze highlights how ‘chance’ and the expressiveness of the random and indiscriminate effects of vigorous brush strokes inform Bacon’s painting. Deleuze proposes that: ‘there is no chance except “manipulated” chance, no accident except a “utilized” accident.’[4] In making his photographs Oliver has no way of knowing what each slow shutter release will reveal. He relies on his understanding of technique during the process of exposure to realize the potential for an evocative outcome.
For me Oliver’s photographs are based on the ‘manipulated chance’. He is ready to respond with the tools photography to capture the phenomenon of light and time in everyday places frequented by people. His work seems to also rely on his acceptance of ‘utilized accidents’. It is from this principle that his moments of strange and powerful visual poetry come into being.
But are they his photographs? My favourite Berger quote also relates to Oliver’s spontaneous street images. That there are things beyond us, I’m not talking about God or Gods, but rather more about the involvement of the ‘other’ in the making of art. Berger said it beautifully for me – his voice echoes in my mind:
The modern illusion concerning painting [I read photography here]. . . is that the artist is a creator. Rather he is a receiver. What seems like creation is the act of giving form to what he has received.[5]
I respectfully present to you – Thomas Oliver’s Disconnection photographs of simulacra from the street.
Doug Spowart PhD
[1] Berger, John. “Appearances/the Ambiguity of the Photograph.” In Another Way of Telling: A Possible Theory of Photography, 47-52. Malden, MA, USA: Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2002.
[2] Ibid
[3] I refer also to Francis Bacon’s paintings based on Diego Velázquez’s Pope, Portrait of Innocent X (1650) and his portraits of friends, for example Three studies for a portrait of Lucien Freund (1964).
[4] Deleuze, Gilles. Francis Bacon: The Logic of Sensation. Translated by Continuum. Continuum Edition ed. London: Continuum Books, 1981. Editions de la Difference.
[5] Berger, John. The Shape of a Pocket. London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2001.
DIGGING FOR GOLD: Nocturne Castlemaine+Chewton
The memorial cairn celebrating the discovery of gold at this place in 1852
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For about a month now we have been house-sitting in Chewton in the midlands of Victoria – the locality includes Castlemaine and Bendigo with Daylesford and Ballarat just down the road.
The region is famous for gold that was discovered in 1851 – with three months 30,000 diggers were working the alluvial gold fields. While initially a tent city very quickly buildings for every purpose where built many of which still stand today – although, some could be considered barely standing… Just up the street is The Red Hill Hotel that was built in 1854, the Chewton Town Hall in 1858 and the local post office was first opened in 1857.
By the end of the 1800s underground mining and dredging became the preferred methods to extract the precious metal. Companies that could undertake the industrial, technical and financial backing required replaced the independent digger. Populations shrunk and the architectural legacy of the boom times remained.
We have been out doing some night photography work to extend our Nocturne project further. Our nocturne photographs follow our usual methodology although we have added in the Day/Night duo image concept explored in the recent Nocturne Armidale project.
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Castlemaine: Downes Road industrial scene
We have found that the Castlemaine and Chewton are thriving creative and cultural communities bolstered by artists, academics, writers and adventurers who have moved to this region. You can be surprised who lives around the corner…
Chewton Post Office
The Chewton Community & Senior Citizens Centre.
At the gate is an amazing life-sized sculpture of Alice Dennis by sculptor Richard Yates.
Pyrenees Highway and moon rise, Chewton
Elevation of the Old Castlemaine Jail…
The 9.35pm to Melbourne leaves the Castlemaine Station…
Castlemaine station detail… Poster says “When it’s hot – Trains slow down”. It was 41 degrees C max today – the train was running late. It was still 34 degrees when the train left the platform.
St Mary’s Church with shadows
TOTAL FIRE BAN TODAY – Chewton CFA, Mount Street.
You know when you hit the 50kph zone coming into Chewton when you pass the Shell servo …
Just down the side of Mo’s Antiques Chewton
Castlemaine Post Office – Telstra telephones… who uses them now…?
The Old Castlemaine Jail…
Castlemaine Town Hall – lights all out 9.30pm.
Phone Box DUO at the Chewton Post Office
You could almost write a novel about this Chewton scene…
Antique, antique shop Castlemaine
Castlemaine Midland Hotel just over the road from the station. The lights are out —- Is anybody home…?
The Chewton Town Hall…
Castlemaine Presbyterian Church
Opposite the Red Hill Hotel DUO
Under the veranda of the Red Hill Hotel
Cooper+Spowart – on the nocturne street, Chewton
UPDATE-SKOPELOS WORKSHOP: Join us on a Greek Island
Skopelos jetty …….PHOTO: Steph Bolt Cyanotype: Cooper+Spowart
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IMAGINE – the inspiration for PHOTOGRAPHY on an Aegean Island
CONSIDER – exploring photodocumentary, cyanotypes and books
AND ENJOY – Greek food and wine, experience the blue of the Aegean Sea, Greek lifestyle and its mythical landscapes – All shared with fellow workshop participants with similar interests.
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THIS WORKSHOP TOOK PLACE IN MAY 2017 – A REPORT CAN BE VIEWED HERE>>>
Skopelos landscapes ……..PHOTOs: Steph Bolt
Greek women and men talking ……..PHOTOs: Steph Bolt
In May 2017 we will be presenting a 12 day workshop on the Greek island of Skopelos with Australian artist and printmaker Steph Bolt.
We plan to work with participants to capture the experience of ‘being there’ and to tell stories about ‘place’ in books and photographs.
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The workshop topics will include:
- The cyanotype process to produce prints on paper and cloth to reference the Aegean blue
- Working with found objects and inkjet negatives from photos made on excursions
- Making bespoke photobooks that you will handcraft during the workshop
- Aspects of documentary ‘placemaking’
- Using online photobook making services to design books
- A sharing of our techniques to optimise and enhance digital photographs.
What is included in the fee:
- Tuition for 12 days
- 12 breakfasts
- Opening & closing dinners
- 2 lunches
- Morning tea – on the days we are in the studio
- Excursion days – transport included
- The odd drink on the terrace overlooking the Aegean
Workshop specific materials included:
- Cyanotype chemistry
- Some printing papers and cloth
- An allocation of inkjet negative material for photographic images
- Basic book-making materials: threads, needles, glue
- Air conditioned studio access
Vicky+Doug presenting workshops
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A detailed website: SKOPELOS WORKS ON PAPER
Contact Steph Bolt at skopelosworksonpaper@gmail.com
ABOUT THE TUTORS
We have been involved in the arts as practitioners, teachers, critics, commentators and allied professional activities for many years: Doug Spowart, from the 1980s and Victoria Cooper, from 1990.
Our individual and collaborative book works have been acquired for the artists’ books, rare book and manuscript collections in Artspace Mackay, State Libraries of Queensland and Victoria, Mitchell Library (Doug), the National Library of Australia. Our wall based artworks are held in numerous public collections.
Our artists’ books have also been exhibited in New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States of America and are held by private and public collections in these countries.
We have both completed individual PhD studies based on philosophical and theoretical considerations in our practice. Since completing these studies we have continued our research activities and have each received separate Siganto Foundation Artists Book Research Fellowships in the Australian Library of Art at the State Library of Queensland: Doug in 2014 and Victoria in 2015.
Victoria Cooper PhD and has holds the following AIPP credentials –APP.L, M.Photog, Hon.FAIPP.
Doug Spowart PhD and has holds the following AIPP credentials – APP.L, M.Photog, Hon.FAIPP, FAIPP.
AIPP APP Log
This workshop is recommended by the AIPP for its members for their Continuing Professional Development as a Third Party CPD Event.
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Some hand-made photobooks/artists books we have made
Super Nova a cyanotype by Victoria Cooper
Wooli Beach Junk a cyanotype by Doug Spowart
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