Thursday, June 1: 10:00 - 18:00
10:00 - 12:30: Introduction (lecture) and Discussion on Critical Documentary Photography.
Introduction of the topic and the importance of critical documentary photography today.
Discussion on how our point of view and engagement affect our projects.
Debating whether documenting is enough in today's world and what this really means.
Exploring alternative approaches to represent the consequences of the issues we seek document.
12:30 - 13:30: Lunch break (in group)
13:30 - 14:30: Techniques and Approaches in Critical Documentary Photography.
Techniques and approaches used in critical documentary photography and research as a tool.
Discussion on the importance of representation and context in critical documentary photography.
Examples of effective criticism through photography.
14:30 - 16:00: Planning and Developing a Long-term Project.
How to plan and develop a long-term project in critical documentary photography.
Techniques for identifying and engaging with subjects we seek to represent, in and outs of research practically speaking.
16:00 - 17:45: Promoting and Funding a Project.
Promoting and funding strategies for critical documentary photography projects.
The importance of partnerships and collaborations in promoting a project.
Navigating ethical concerns when funding a project.
17:45 - 18:00: Final questions and discussion.
18:00: Conclusion
This workshop will be held in English.
The mother tongue of the photographer is French. When all participants indicate in the registration form that they speak French, the language of the workshop will be changed to French.
The tuition for this workshop is 95 euros.
If you would like an invoice, please send an email to festival@bspfestival.org.
Participants are invited to bring their own work, along with a sense of humor and appetite for discussion.
Furthermore you will need a notebook to take down notes during the workshop.
Marquis building
Sinter-Goedeleplein 5
1000 Brussels
Participants are expected to make their own travel and accommodation arrangements.
For more information about the city, please visit www.visit.brussels.
Ensure that you have the necessary travel documents and visas to attend the event. The BSPF can provide letters of support if needed.
Payments are non-refundable. Please contact us at festival@bspfestival.org for special cases.
Participants must register to confirm their spot. First come, first served. Fill in the form and pay below to secure your spot in time.
The BSPF is not responsible for reimbursing travel expenses if a workshop is cancelled. We recommend that you purchase refundable airline tickets and/or travel insurance.
The BSPF reserves the right to cancel groups of less than 6 students. Participants will either receive a full refund or be offered a spot with another photographer. In the event of cancellation due to insufficient enrollment, participants will be notified at least 5 days in advance.
If you have any further questions, please send an e-mail to Lies De Jaegher via festival@bspfestival.org.
THE CAMERA AS POLITICAL APPARATUS: AN UNROMANTIC TAKE ON DOCUMENTARY PRACTICE
This masterclass invites participants to reflect, discuss and challenge their beliefs on what critical documentary photography is and can be. As photographers, how does our point of view and engagement affect how and what we photograph? Is documenting enough in today's world? Are we in danger of succumbing to a certain aesthetic laziness in the way we photograph pain and misery, and is there an alternative?
Documentary photography still has an important role to play in critiquing, exposing and otherwise actively catalysing change in today's world. How we as photographers approach our work can make the difference between visual tourism, a cry of outrage or effective critique.
From planning and developing to promoting and funding a project, the participants will have the opportunity to clarify the next steps for their existing long-term work.
This masterclass is part of Photo Atelier's offering. The organization was founded in 2023 with a basic idea: providing straightforward, high-quality, experience-based photography courses accessible to all, led and designed by esteemed practitioners professionals from the contemporary artistic field of photography.
Mathieu Asselin
Mathieu Asselin (FR/VEN, ̊1973) lives in Arles, France. He began his career working on film productions in Caracas, Venezuela, but shaped his photography practice in the United States. He obtained his Masters's degree from the École Nationale Supérieure de la Photographie (ENSP, Arles) in 2017. His work mainly consists of long-term investigative documentary projects, such as his latest book ‘Monsanto: A Photographic Investigation, which received international acclaim, winning the Kassel FotoBook Festival DummyAward in 2016, the Aperture Foundation First Book Award in 2017, and has been shortlisted for the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize in 2018. Les Rencontre d’Arles in France, Photographer’s Gallery in London, Fotomuseum Antwerp in Belgium, the European Parliament in Strasbourg, and HasselbladFoundation in Gothenburg are amongst recent venues where his work has been exhibited. Since 2018 he is a member of the editorial committee at Disclose, the first NGO dedicated to investigative journalism in France. He is a professor at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts KASK. Gent, Belgium, and co-founder of DoubleDummy studio, a platform that creates a space for producing and showcasing critical reflections on documentary photography. Member of theEditorial Committee at Disclose, France's first NGO dedicated to investigative journalism.
mathieuasselin.com
Mathieu Asselin
Mathieu Asselin (FR/VEN, ̊1973) lives in Arles, France. He began his career working on film productions in Caracas, Venezuela, but shaped his photography practice in the United States. He obtained his Masters's degree from the École Nationale Supérieure de la Photographie (ENSP, Arles) in 2017. His work mainly consists of long-term investigative documentary projects, such as his latest book ‘Monsanto: A Photographic Investigation, which received international acclaim, winning the Kassel FotoBook Festival DummyAward in 2016, the Aperture Foundation First Book Award in 2017, and has been shortlisted for the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize in 2018. Les Rencontre d’Arles in France, Photographer’s Gallery in London, Fotomuseum Antwerp in Belgium, the European Parliament in Strasbourg, and HasselbladFoundation in Gothenburg are amongst recent venues where his work has been exhibited. Since 2018 he is a member of the editorial committee at Disclose, the first NGO dedicated to investigative journalism in France. He is a professor at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts KASK. Gent, Belgium, and co-founder of DoubleDummy studio, a platform that creates a space for producing and showcasing critical reflections on documentary photography. Member of theEditorial Committee at Disclose, France's first NGO dedicated to investigative journalism.
mathieuasselin.com