Riga Photography Biennial Workshops
Image: Ilu Susiraja, How to Create Atmosphere at Home, 2012 –2013
Existence and Presentation Between Private and Public (by Tuula Alajoki, Backlight Photo Festival (FI))
Date: April 24
Participants: 10-15
Duration: approx. 5 hours
Preconditions/equipment and skills required: participants must bring their own digital camera (pocket versions are okay) or a cell phone with a camera + cables, etc., necessary for image transfer, have basic knowledge of their camera functions, as well as the courage to participate in discussion and brainstorming in English.
The workshop will consist of a short introduction and discussion of the ideas of “private” and “public”, deliberately interpreted as open for the participants to process them further. The aim is to question and examine some of the components and meanings of “private” and “public”, related to private matters and their public representations, defining private and public spaces, privatizing the public and vice- versa, experiencing private and public viewing, privacy and the desired publicity in the era of social sharing and online existence. This won't be an academic workshop, and everyone will be able to engage within the limits of their own comfort zone. During the workshop the participants are expected to further develop and explore their ideas and interpretations (individually, in pairs or groups) of “private/public”, “privacy/publicity”, “personal/common”, “private and public view”, “presenting privacy/publicity”, “private/public/social existence of self” and other ideas emerging from the discussions, by producing photographs to be viewed and discussed together at the end of the day. The participants will be able to decide later to what extent they wish to share the results of the workshop on social media, Instagram, Snapchat, RPB related platforms, etc.
We are looking for a diverse group of people from different backgrounds, genders and age. Please tell us shortly why you would like to take part in the workshop and if you already have an idea you would like to work on around the theme. The selected participants will meet up for a short informal meeting/introduction in Riga already before the workshop day on Thursday, April 21.
The applications should be sent via RPB APPLICATION FORM by April 15. The working language will be English.
The workshop is organized by Tuula Alajoki (FI), the director of the Backlight Photo Festival (Tampere), curator Maija Rudovska (Riga Photography Biennial).
Tuula Alajoki (b. 1975) is a Finnish curator and the director of the Backlight Photo Festival (Tampere, Finland). She has been involved in the activities of the Photographic Centre Nykyaika since her graduation as a visual artist in 2001. She has worked for Backlight in various positions since 2008. Alajoki curates exhibitions both in Finland and abroad, and works intensively to develop international art and artist exchanges. Currently she also lectures and teaches analogue photography in Tampere. She has a MA degree in Visual Culture from Taik/Aalto University and is now completing her studies in art history, theory and research in the University of Helsinki.
Examples of NoRoutineBooks publications
Sequencing and Bookbinding Workshop (by Vilma Samulionyte and Gytis Skudzinskas, NoRoutineBooks (LT))
Date: April 24
Participants: 10-12
Duration: approx. 3-4 hours
Preconditions/equipment and skills required: interest in photographic work and curiosity of trying your hand at arranging the layout of a dummy book. Please bring some printed works of your own, preferably series of photos that you have made. Before the workshop, some tasks will be communicated directly to the participants. Basic communication skills in English is a must.
If you have ever been curious about making books, the Sequencing and Bookbinding Workshop is the place to start. The workshop will have several parts: sequencing/arranging, creation of the book and choice of post-printing processes. In the first part we will engage with the content. Making books is in itself a pleasurable activity, requiring decisions on the materials for the book, methods that will be applied in its making and so forth, but beyond this the creation of a book involves intensive work with the images – editing, sorting and sequencing. In the second part of the workshop we will explore the connections between form and content. Together with the NoRoutineBooks team – Gytis Skudžinskas and Vilma Samulionyte, the participants will investigate these problems by studying a variety of books. Participants will be encouraged to browse and discuss the books to better understand the process of their creation. Finally, there will be a presentation of tools and materials required for making books, and Gytis and Vilma will demonstrate how a few simple book types are made.
We are looking for a diverse group of people from different backgrounds, genders and age. Please tell us shortly why you would like to take part in the workshop and what kind of experience you have in working with photography. The selected participants will be informed beforehand about the necessary preparations for the workshop.
The applications should be sent via RPB APPLICATION FORM by April 15. The working language will be English.
The workshop is organized by NoRoutineBooks (LT), curator Maija Rudovska (Riga Photography Biennial).
NoRoutineBooks is an independent publishing initiative dedicated to designing and printing unique fine arts books from Lithuania. NoRoutineBooks was founded in 2014 by two Lithuanian artists Vilma Samulionyte and Gytis Skudzinskas. All publications made by the organization are strictly limited to 99 copies (+ some AP) with some unique elements included. The post-printing processes are finalized in NoRoutineBooks studio. NoRoutineBooks publications have been shortlisted for and received several prominent art prizes: Evelina Kerpaite's Nails won the award for the most beautiful Lithuanian book of 2015 (bibliophilic and experimental books category), Gytis Skudzinskas' Some Thesis on Photography was awarded a diploma at the same competition and category. Also in 2015, Gytis Skudzinskas' Album was shortlisted for the Rencontre d’Arles Author Book Prize.