Congratulations to Adam Dean whose work from Afghanistan has been shortlisted for the 2010 Sony World Photography Awards in the Current Affairs category and will be exhibited in Cannes, France in April. He was also shortlisted in the top 5 for the POYI Magazine/Agency photographer of the year.
Adam continues to be based in Beijing and works regularly for Bloomberg and the Daily Telegraph as well as occasional commissions for other leading newspapers and magazines. He will be heading to Mongolia on 4th March until 20th March then returning to Beijing before heading back to Afghanistan from 19 April for the summer.
Photo MA graduate Andrew Smith reacted quickly when he first got wind of the breaking news of the crashed American Airlines plane in Kingston for Reuters Tuesday night. The photos have appeared throughout the world including in the NYTimes & on MSNBC website.
Just three days after completing his final project for the Photography MA in Dalian, Duarte Villas was approached by the Beijing News who bought his story and published it the next day. ...more
Photo MA graduate Boris Austin just completed a workshop training UNICEF staff in photography. Boris explains the process, "the overall goal was to equip team members with the skills and knowledge to take high quality documentary-style digital photography including portraits whilst in the field.Images will be used in UNICEF’s publications and reports.
The intensive workshop focused on environmental portraiture and photo essays, both technically and creatively. The participants were staff journalists who had specialities such as "water and sanitation" or "public health and immunization" so we also took into account the specific kinds of photos each of them would need to learn to take. The heads of Communications team watched a final presentation and said they thought is was highly successful".
Photo MA graduate Grace Gelder has been invited to exhibit new work from Latvi at The Goethe Institute in Riga. The Opening of the ISSP 2009 Exhibition will take place on 3 December 2009, 18:30 at Goethe-Institute Riga, Torņu iela 1. ...more
Photo MA Graduate and photographer Boris Austin has one the top prize in The London Photographic associations "Love Pain and beauty competition". This makes it his fourth award in one years for the photography project he completed as part of his MA photography degree in China.
Photo MA graduate Sara Gouveia has been making good progress with her photography & filmmaking career in South Africa. Left is one article published in an Italian magazine as an example of a number of new commissions.
Following the success of Dalian Photo MA Students winning a Golden Mercur Award for Best Photo Reportage in a 30 page spread in Onze Wereld Magazine in 2008, the magazine has once again used one of the featured photographers, Boris Austin, for a cover story. Since winning the award Boris has taken on a number of professional commissions including being on regular assignments for Stern Magazine.
Photo MA Graduate Nick Kozak has recently completed illustrating a catalogue for a major art exhibition in Toronto. The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery in Toronto commissioned internationally acclaimed video artist Candice Breitz to complete a project in Toronto for her Same Same exhibition, which also features 10 of her previous works. Factum, a project about identical twins was filmed between May and June 2009. Nick Kozak documented the process. The Power Plant catalogue for the show contains over a 100 of Nick's images and provides a unique and complementary (to the actual video installations) look at the project.
A discussion on Beyond the slideshow....What is the future of multimedia? was held in Beijing in association with Open-i moderated by Photo MA China Cohort course leader D J Clark. The discussion was broadcast live (available to listen again HERE). Visiting lecturers Brian Storm and Huang Wen joined with Dan Chung from the Guardian to discuss the future of multimedia news.
Clare Struthers and Becky Matthews traveled to Uganda in January 2009 to cover the seminal mass wedding of six Acholi tribes women in an Internally Displaced Persons camp in Pader. The wedding was possible thanks to the generous donation of 54 wedding dresses by brides from Lancashire. This act of generosity acts as a symbol of hope for a community ripped apart by two decades of civil war.
Their story is being told in this month's (October) edition of Marie Claire magazine pages 19, and 124-128. Unfortunately the magazine managed to omit Clare's byline but this was a joint project from start to finish.
The image is from the series "My Big Fat Ugandan Wedding" has also won a "Highly Commended" in the "Quality of Life" category of the CIWEM’s Environmental Photographer of the Year 2009 competition. The work will be exhibited at the Bedfordbury Gallery in London's Covent Garden before going on tour around the country.
THE HUMPHREY SPENDER JOHN MARRIOT SCHOLARSHIP FOR SOCIAL DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY 2009
The Spender archive of photographs from Mass Observation’s Work Town project is regarded internationally as one of the most important archives in the development of British documentary photography. As part of the University of Bolton and Bolton Council’s initiative to develop a research centre based around the Spender archive, the University is proud to announce the launch of the Humphrey Spender John Marriot scholarship for social documentary photography.
The aim of the scholarship is to enable a recent postgraduate photography student to produce a sustained body of social documentary photography that re-interprets and contextualises some of the images/issues held within the Work Town archive.
Submissions for the scholarship 2009/10 are invited on the theme of ’”holidays”’ (Holidays in this context are defined as official or unofficial observances of religious, national, or cultural significance, often accompanied by celebrations or festivities and or a general leave of absence from a regular occupation for rest or recreation - but only within the area of Bolton).
Applicants must research the relevant Spender images held in the archive at Bolton Museum and Art Gallery. In addition they must submit a written proposal (one side of A4) for the re-interpretation and contextualisation of the theme holiday, along with a brief CV and a portfolio of no more than 8 images.
Criteria • Applicant must have studied at postgraduate level; • Must reside in the North West; • All the work produced MUST be within Bolton Council geographic boundaries that Humphrey Spender worked in.
Outcomes • An exhibition of the work; • Successful applicant to deliver a paper at the Spender conference; • Successful applicant to deliver a number of workshop or talks to current postgraduate and undergraduate students, Rotary Club Bolton Le Moors, Marriot Trust. All workshops will acknowledge the Marriot as the donor trust; • Keep a detailed journal of the project, again the photographer will acknowledge the donor trust. • Contacts of all the work and a selection of exhibition prints to be deposited in the Museum archive; • The photographer will retain the copyright, however the University of Bolton and Bolton Council will reserve the right of free access to publish any of the images in relation to the scholarship, the archive, the research centre and studying at the University.
Fee Photographers fee £3,000 plus £1,000 for materials
Deadline for Applications Applications must be received by Tuesday 1st September 2009
Please forward all applications to: Ian Beesley Programme leader MA Photography University of Bolton School of Arts, Media and Education Eagle Tower Deane Campus Bolton BL3 4AB
Photo MA graduate Nick Kozak has published a set of images of Dalian swimmers in Polish photography magazine, Foto Index. To download a free copy go to www.fotoindex.org
Photo MA graduate Gemma Thorpe has been awarded the Mary Clerc Scholarship -'awarded to an applicant with a keen social conscious who works with passion and purpose', which will enable her to participate in the Missouri Photo Workshop at the end of September this year.
The faculty members this year are Carolyn Cole, photographer, Los Angeles Times; Randy Cox, senior editor, visuals, The Oregonian; Dennis Dimick, executive editor (environment), National Geographic; MaryAnne Golon, former director of photography, TIME; John Isaac, former photographer for the United Nations.
Photo MA graduate Adam Dean came runner up in the News Folio and Photo Essay section of the Press Photographer's Year 2009 for an image shot in the aftermath of the Myanmar Cyclone. The image along with other winners will be exhibited at The National Gallery in London until 31st August....more
Photo MA graduate Graeme Nicol whose final project started an interest in documenting the rise of African immigrants into China gathered pace as fresh protests arose in Guangzhou after a man is critical after jumping from a building to escape a visa raid. This image of Nicol's was published in the South China Morning Post.
A blog set up by Photo MA graduates and current students to showcase their work is slowly gathering pace as more graduates start to contribute. The blog acts as a gallery space for current and former students to share their current work. ...more
Photo Ma Graduate Grace Gelder has won a place on the NES artists residency in Iceland next May and June. Meanwhile she continues to work with The House of St Barnabas in Soho running Photography workshops on their Life Skills Program for homeless people. She will be producing a book of the entire program's activities using photos taken by the participants.
Continuing the success of last year a Photo MA graduate, Dave Wyatt, has been chosen for the Photographer's Gallery Fresh Faced and Wild Eyed exhibition that showcases the best graduate work from the previous year. Wyatt's Thames Town Project also features in Issue 2 of Deep Sleep magazine ....more
Photo MA graduate Grace Gelder has been accepted as one of the participants in the 4th International Summer School of Photography (ISSP) which will will take place in Ludza, Latviafrom 1 to 9 August 2009. ...more
THE NATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY SYMPOSIUM From 6pm on 19th June to 1pm on 21st June 2009 Location: Chetham's Library, Manchester, M3 1SB
Presented by Redeye in partnership with The University of Bolton and Chetham’s Library.
Supported by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.
This is the first gathering of its kind in the UK for ideas and discussion about photography, featuring a wide range of sessions by and for photographers.
It is Redeye's major event for 2009 and is an unmissable weekend for those who are serious about photography.
Who is it for? It is aimed at photographers who are interested in the way the profession is going, who are looking for ideas from their own and different disciplines, and would like an opportunity to discuss these ideas with some of the leading figures in photography. It will also be useful to all those who work with, buy or teach photography.
Why's it needed? Many people have told us that they would enjoy the chance to meet with colleagues to discuss new ideas and developments in photography. And lots of people are saying there are some critical things that are not getting discussed properly. While there are several excellent single-issue academic conferences, there is no clear gathering in this country for people working in photography to get together and talk about the things that are most important to them.
What's going to happen? The weekend includes around 20 different events – debates, keynote presentations, panel sessions, and more offbeat activities – with various threads running throughout – fine art, publishing, museum and archives, photojournalism and documentary, community, editorial and commercial. You can follow your specialist area or mix and match from different themes. There’ll be plenty of opportunities for networking and chatting in convivial surroundings. We will also have some hands-on and fun sessions.
Most formal sessions will be recorded for podcasting, so you don’t need to worry about missing something. A detailed report will provide a reference for later use. ...more
An exhibition of photographs by Ian Beesley, course leader for the Bolton Cohort of the MA in International Photojournalism, Documentary and Travel Photography, is being held at Bradford 1 Gallery |until early August...more
While an exhibition sponsored by the British Council of multimedia and photographs by D J Clark the course leader for the Dalian cohort of the same course is now on show in Hanoi, an e-book version is online ...more
Earthquake Anniversary Special on assignment for Stern Magazine
Setting out to find and interview the survivors, Photo MA graduate Boris Austin flew to MianYang to join Journalist Janis Vougioukas and his assistant.
In under 10 days they were challenged with finding 10 people who featured in iconic news images of the earthquake to find out how their lives had changed..more.
Photo MA graduate Andrew Smith has recently been contracted by Reuters as a stringer in Jamaica. On one of his first assignments his image made Reuters picture of the day.
Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper (R) talks with Jamaica's Prime Minister Bruce Golding at the launch of the four-year Justice Undertakings for Social Transformation programme in Kingston April 21, 2009. REUTERS/Andrew Smith (JAMAICA POLITICS IMAGE OF THE DAY TOP PICTURE)
In the first week of May 2009, 24 professional Chinese photojournalists gathered in Hangzhou for a four day conversion workshop with Canon's new 5D MKII. Sponsored by Canon (who provided the venue, cameras and microphones) and the University of Bolton (who organised the workshop content) four tutors Huang Wen, Chang He, Wang Xi and D J Clark collaborated with the participants to discover the potential of using the camera as a short form multi media journalism tool.
The workshop was one of a series being run to fund a new £5,000 award in Chinese Multi Media Journalism just announced at www.yxaward.org.
Photo MA graduate Dave Wyatt is showing work from his time in China on the 1000 Words Photography Magazine Blog.
"Thames town is an English style new satellite town built close to Shanghai as part of the local governments ‘One City –Nine Towns’ plan. This plan was hatched out of the population boom being experienced in Shanghai. In the past 15 years the population has increased by 8 million and the landmass it covers has increased from 100sqkm to a staggering 680sqkm. Despite this growth Shanghai is still four times as densely populated as New York. The ‘One City –Nine Towns’ plan seeks to construct nine satellite towns around Shanghai. Six of these towns are to be themed on European style cities from the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Sweden, and Italy. These images document the beginning of the next great revolution within China, a suburban revolution as the new middle class within China seeks to make use of their new found financial freedom." ...more
Photo MA graduate Mishka Henner is showing work exploring economic divisions in Hackney, produced during the summer and autumn of last year as part of an international set of commissions looking at poverty in Mumbai, Shanghai (photographed by Photo MA Graduate Sharron Lovell), Istanbul, New York, and London. The show runs between 27 April and 14 June 2009, with the opening reception on Wednesday 6th May at 8pm. A preview of Misha's work work can be seen here
I'll also be speaking about the work at a couple of events at the LSE in May (more information here and here
David Campbell & Sharron Lovell have also been involved in this programme and David will also be a speaker at a panel discussion on the launch night (info here).
"Grace Gelder is building a portfolio with some impressive images. She graduated with an MA from Bolton University in International Photojournalism , Documentary & Travel Photography. I am chuffed to promote her work because Bolton is one of many mid-sized cities of England’s Northwest that has been the brunt of dismissive attitudes during my childhood and adolescence.
The University of Bolton is helping reshape those ill-informed attitudes and building a reputation for its photojournalism department. This is helped by its partnership with the Dalian College of Image Art, China. Which helps to explain how Gelder came to work on her far-flung series Professional Mongolian Women. Mongolia is just next door, right?
As the Metro puts it, Gelder “counteracts misconceptions of Mongolia as an under-developed country. Her series of striking colour portraits, each depicting one woman in her professional context, follows up a UN report last year that placed Mongolia first in a league table for women’s participation in the workforce.”
I think particularly with her portrait of Munkhbayar, Director of the women’s prison just outside Ulaanbataar, Gelder succeeds in quashing stereotypes that exist regarding Non-western nations, Mongolia itself, and women in those societies. I am just glad Gelder had a prison warden as one of her subjects; as to provide me an excuse to promote her well-informed work. I recommend reading Gelder’s own description of gender relations and equalities in Mongolia."
This multimedia project - photographed, with audio and video, by Photo MA Graduate Sharron Lovell, and produced by David Campbell - tells the story of three families of Chinese migrant labourers in Shanghai, and the struggles they face as undocumented internal migrants.
China's massive economic growth has both created and been fueled by the world's largest peacetime migration, with 200 million people moving from the countryside to the city.
However, because of the 'hukou' or household registration system in China, internal migrants are often in a legal limbo, denied access to local social services, and discriminated against by both the state and private employers. This project reveals how three families have dealt with this situation.
Two Photo MA Graduates Mishka Henner and Sharron Lovell join other photographers in "[Re]Presenting Poverty in London, Mumbai, New York, Istanbul & Shanghai" What: Exhibit Host: London School of Economics Start Time: 27 April at 18:30 End Time: 14 June at 22:00 Where: Atrium Gallery, Old Building, London School of Economics
In early 2009, Photo MA students Becky Matthews and Clare Struthers traveled to an Internally Displaced Persons camp in Pader, Northern Uganda, to meet and document six Acholi tribes women as they married at a seminal mass ceremony. During twenty years of civil war these women have suffered the most losing their homes and livelihoods. Often facing abduction, abject poverty, sexual abuse, mutilation and death. Following the 2006 peace process, relative calm has been restored to the region. The wedding of these six women is symbolic of the new start facing all women in Uganda, as they form the foundation for stronger communities and a stronger country....more
Project 29 is a personal project by Photo MA graduate Peter Carney, documenting the 365 days of his 29th and final year of his twenties. Having spent the last four years in Asia, Peter has now moved back to the UK and is at a critical point in his life. Adapting to being back in Europe, looking for work but also contemplating a move back to Asia, it is sure to be an eventful year.
Peter Carney is a freelance photograher curently based in the UK....more
Two Photo MA graduates Markel Redondo and Grace Gelder have been short listed for the Europe and Asia - Dialogue of Cultures. exhibition and $3,000 award. The exhibition and prize will happen in June.
Photo MA graduate Grace Gelder has recieved funding from Kensington and Chelsea Arts Services to run a photo-book making workshop in a women's hostel in Earls Court. It will be a month long project where participants will photograph a subject of their choice and create a book of their best work. There will be a book launch in a jazz cafe in Earls Court at the end of the project.
Grace's portrait of the Mongolian prison director, Munkhbayar is also featured in this months issue of Ctrl.alt.shift
I'm making a short film called Catterfly this month and would love your support.... It's a story of dreams and reality, the ability to change vs the will to do it - It's going to be 3-4 minutes and it's going to be awesome.
If you can logon to indiegogo and be my friend that would be great and would create some all important 'buzz' about the project - see links below
I'll also give some updates on how I'm doing and of course show the film when it's done - I'm hoping to premiere it at the Beijing Independent Film Festival in April, and then hopefully send it to other festivals internationally.
If you'd like to donate a small amount that would also obviously be awesome - see the website for details....
The 5th Chobi Mela festival in Dhaka starts today with live webcasts of lectures and debates. Photo MA teachers, D J Clark and Wang Xi are there to give workshops, talks and exhibit work from the course. A report is here the main website is at http://www.chobimela.org/
Photo MA Student Graeme Nicol participates in a global view of the Obama inauguration, ...more While fellow student Nick Kozak reports from Toronto ...more
Photo MA Dalian cohort course leader D J Clark writes in the World Press Photo Newsletter about the future of photojournalism and the challenges to photography education ....more
The Golden Mercur is an annual prize for Dutch magazines. There are different categories. The China special, 35 pages of pictures and stories from Photo MA students based in Dalian published in Onze Wereld magazine in July 2008, was edited by Photo MA tutor Pieter Van der Houwen and designed by photo MA graduate Boris Austin won “Best Reportage 2008”.
The Netherlands is a small country , but has a strong documentary tradition. Think of the IDFA , International Documentary Festival Amsterdam, the biggest and most important documentary festival in the world. And of course the World Press Photo Awards which has been working with and for photojournalists for more that half a century. World Press Photo has already congratulated the editorial team.
JURY REPORT
It is an enormous achievement that a relatively small magazine like “Onze Wereld” could initiate such a large production. Thanks to the intensive cooperation with Dalian Image Art College in China and their partner the University of Bolton it was possible to work with photographers who live in China and who to some degree speak the language. This made it possible to photograph the daily life of the Chinese in the pre Olympic period. One very experienced member of the jury stated : “ I cant believe that Onze Wereld made this beautiful series. The quality of the photographs make this submission very special, showing this imitate unknown side of Chinese society. The organisation, production and design fitted seamlessly in the formula of Onze Wereld, resulting in a fantastic 35 pages. That’s why the Golden Mercur Goes to Onze Wereld.
As world eyes fall on China ahead of the upcoming Olympic games in 2008, how do you see China portrayed in the media? What types of stories do you hear? What do you know and what would you like to know?
A documentary film by Photo MA graduate Boris Austin about the making of a 30 Page "China Special" for Dutch Magazine Onze Wereld. The project, curated by Photo MA visiting lecturer Pieter vander Houwen and Boris, uses photo essays created by MA students and graduates to give a new perspective of China to a western audience. See the anouncement on the Onze Wereld website ...here See the film on the Onze Wereld website ...here See the film on Vimeo ...here See the slide show ...here Download the magazine PDF ...here
MA Graduate Carl Pininngton was awarded 2nd place in the Shot Up North 20th Awards in the prestigious Best Image Category for the picture left. More at Carls website ...HERE
MA Photo Graduate Julia Horbaschk opens an exhibition, 'Labour of Love' which documents the lives and loves of eastern European immigrants, opens on November 1st in the Jubilee Library, Brighton. Julia's third Brighton Photo Fringe exhibition tackles the stereotypical representation of migrants to this country and is the final piece of her Masters Degree in International Photojournalism. ...more
MA Student Peu Azizur Publishes his term 2 project. "The Sundarbans, cover 38,500 sq km, is the world's largest salt-tolerant mangrove forest. Its name literally translates to "beautiful forest", and it is inhabited by about three million people who explore this dangerous terrain for survival." ...more
Photo MA student Paul Wolfgang Webster has been appointed photographer in residence for Waterstones books continuing his success of having his work acquired by the National Portrait Gallery London, Paul has been engaged by Waterstones books to produce portraits of famous writers and artist.
Photo MA graduate Andy Boag is holding an exhibition to Mark World Mental Health Day on October the 10th. Harold Wilson Gallery Huddersfield It's called 'In the Hot Seat' and it is a series of self portraits taken by the staff and service users of the the Mental Health Charity 'Artists In Mind'. The artists posed with a favourite piece of their artwork, then talked about the significance of the piece to them. The original artwork is on display alongside the text and photograph.
Photo MA graduate Verena Kennedy has set up a facebook group for those who knew him to leave messages of condolence, stories with Yang, pictures and videos. The group is called 'In Memory of Professor Yang' is free to join, though you will need to set up a free facebook ID if you don't already have one. The Photo MA staff will ensure Yang's family see the comments and anything in English will be translated for them too. Facebook can be found ...here
It is with immense sadness that we report the sudden death of Professor Yang Xiaoguang, Dean of Dalian College of Image Art and cofounder of the Photo MA programme. Yang was killed in a car crash in the Himalayan foothills of Nepal on the 7th October. Yang died in the way he lived, enjoying life to the full.
Yang was brought up during the Cultural Revolution in China during which time he was banished to the countryside. Returning to Dalian in the post Mao era he took a job as a technician in Dalian Medical University where he was to work for the rest of his life. Learning English by himself he took advantage of a scholarship to America in the early 80’s where he first started to study photography, completing an MA in Visual art at Columbia Pacific University. Returning to Dalian he started what was then only the second University Photography BA programme in China and over the next twenty years grew it to be the most respected course in China and quite possibly the largest photography department in the world. He was a visiting scholar at University of California Berkeley from 1988-1990 where he first developed an interest in documentary filmmaking. A passion that saw him travel the world and develop film making into the University programmes. In his life he published eight books and countless articles, he was hugely respected throughout the Chinese and international photography community and leaves a large hole in global photographic education.
Though greatly respected for his achievements however Yang’s utmost quality was his energetic charismatic personality. He was a shining example of greatness in every respect. Always positive, never too busy to deal with the smallest request from anyone, whatever their position, nationality or need and kind, exceptionally kind to everyone who knew him. He was never short of ideas and answers to the numerous problems that faced him. A true ambassador to China and to Photography.
