Photography Summer School

About

The MAD SUMMER School of Photography is an international learning experience for artists and students working with Photography, as well as professionals worldwide, designed to build and celebrate photographic talent. Taking place in the Portuguese north coast of Vila do Conde, the MAD Summer School offers advanced masterclasses by renowned tutors in combination with an exciting program of film screenings, evening talks, concerts and a group exhibition, during “Curtas Vila do Conde” International Short Film Festival.

The MAD Summer School is held in the facilities of the School of Media Arts and Design located in Vila do Conde and results in the aggregation of several workshops and masterclasses related to an annual theme “Discovering the Unseen”. The artworks developed during the week will result in a group exhibition at Centro de Memória de Vila do Conde, a museum space in the city which translates literally as “Centre for Memory”.

Theme: Construct the Unseen

An engagement with reality through the medium of photography inevitably demands working on an image, starting with its construction. An image comes into being not only in the moment of exposure, but rather acquires significance and creates new relationships through time, circulation, and form.

This intense and learning experience is addressed to artists working with visual narratives through photography, wishing to learn more about the possibilities of exhibiting and publishing their work. Participants are requested to have a project completed or close to completion, and they can expect to leave with a solid plan at the end of the MAD SUMMER SCHOOL

Throughout a 5 days academy, participants will rethink about their work in progress, interact with contemporary photographic discourse, and develop practical experience and critical knowledge of Photography with the support of a Team of Tutors.

At the end of the program, participants will have developed theoretical contents and articulating them with a strong practical and artistic exploration, presenting an exhibition or a photobook. The program will explore the broad of “The Unseen” and will enhance participants interact with contemporary photographic discourse in order to reflect their body of work and allow it to become graspable.This platform provides a channel for up-and-coming talent to showcase their work and brings together the community to discuss and debate the directions in which the Photography is evolving.

Mentors

Rosângela Rennó

Walter Costa

Ângela Ferreira

Schedule

Important Dates

Please take a note on the following deadlines:

• Proposals Submission: Jun 18, 2018
• Notification of the results: Jun 25, 2018
• Registration: Jun 30, 2018 (100% payment)
• Summer School: Jul 16-20, 2018

Applications

Who can apply?

• Artists and students working with photography.
• Professionals worldwide with practical knowledge and keen interest in photographic practice.

You must have an active relationship with the medium and a desire to bring it to a new level via an intense learning experience. We welcome applicants with a photographic project under development, who could benefit from the interaction with our high profile guest artists and mentors and the technical expertise of our tutors.

The MAD SUMMER Photography School is seeking for applications from artists that cover the fields of contemporary photography and should aim to develop an expanded understanding of their respective field and beyond. Participants will be expected to rethink and re-evaluate their discipline with a special focus on the analog laboratory, and post-digital and printing techniques. We will also encourage projects that could include work made with local communities, by engaging in documentary practices dealing with portrait, landscape, architecture, archive and memory.

What documents I need?

Submit an electronic APPLICATION FORM presenting the project that you want to develop, the product you want to achieve (exhibition or photobok ) and a small portfolio selection from your latest projects. Please also include your motivation letter to take part the Summer School.

Selection of participants

MAD SUMMER Photography School has a limited number of places - we can host up 10 to 15 participants.The participants are selected based on their applications and submitted portfolios. The main selection criteria are the quality of work, motivation and feasibility of proposals.

Packs

The participants are responsible for the extra costs of production and printing of their work, transport to the location (including visa-related costs if necessary) and incidental expenses during the week.