Atmosphere 2014

The deadline was September 12th, 2013. [pdf download] [tumblr site ] [Winnipeg Design Festival]

“…suddenly a specific photograph reaches me; it animates me, and I animate it.
So that is how I must name the attraction which makes it exist: an animation.
The photograph itself is in no way animated… but it animates me: this is what
creates every adventure.”
—Roland Barthes, Camera Lucida, p. 20.

Photography often fascinates us with images of arrested movement: by documenting iterative positions of common gestures (think of the work of Étienne-Jules Marey); rendering visible the invisible agencies of physics (Berenice Abbot, Harold Edgerton); capturing “stills” from the flux of social events (Cartier Bresson, Herbert List, René Burri, Florian Böhm); and revealing the dynamism embedded in still environments (Brassaï, Robert Doisneau, Yasuhiro Ishimoto, Thomas Struth). Though ostensibly static and silent, such photography speaks of “action.”

In conjunction with the 2014 Atmosphere Symposium we invite PHOTO SUBMISSIONS exploring the tension between “action” and stillness in loose relation to any of the following six sub-themes: building acts, dwelling acts, representational acts, socio-political acts, environmental acts, and research in action. Students may also wish to consider the political agency of photography (think of the persuasive impact of photo journalism, the mission of media organizations like Drik, the social documentary practices of Dorothea Lange & Margaret Bourke-White, and the photo-activism of Edward Burtynsky, Alfredo Jaar & Jeff Thomas). Students may also investigate the activity of photography itself (think of processes involving the camera obscura, experimental printing and lighting techniques, and situational photographic practices, like those of Abelardo Morell, Vik Muniz & Jeff Wall). Photographs celebrating Winnipeg’s civic actions are welcome.

ELIGIBILITY: The photo competition is open to any student enrolled in the Faculty of Architecture at the
University of Manitoba (in the 2013-14 academic year).

** Read Carefully IMAGE SPECIFICATIONS + SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS:

Each student may submit a maximum of THREE high-quality digital images, portrait or landscape orientation. All images must be JPEG, 300 dpi, 11 x 14.667 inches (the 14.667 dimension may vary).

STEP 1: TUMBLR—Go to this Tumblr site http://atmos-2014.tumblr.com/; select “SUBMIT” at the top of the screen; click on “choose a photo”, then upload your image. Also include (in the appropriate boxes) your NAME, EMAIL, and a CAPTION, indicating a short title, place, and date. Upload your image(s) before 5pm on Sept. 12th, at which time all appropriate images will be “published” to the Tumblr site.

STEP 2: EMAIL—Send a single email to <atmos.2014@gmail.com> with the following: a small thumbnail JPG for each photo submission (1x1.333 inches, 180dpi); the CAPTION (title, place and date) for each image; plus your NAME, ACADEMIC UNIT & LEVEL (ED2, M1 Arch, etc). **BOTH the Tumblr and email submissions are required. If you do not send the email your submission will not be considered, as we’ll have no way to verify your enrollment at the University of Manitoba, or contact you if you win.

CRITERIA + WINNERS: Photographs will be judged on their potency, subtlety and sophistication in relation to the symposium themes. Six winners (one for each sub-theme) will earn free admission to the Atmosphere Symposium. These six winners, plus twelve honorable mentions, will also earn a free print of their photograph. The winning prints will be exhibited during the Winnipeg Design Festival (Sept. 18-22), and used to advertise the symposium. Winners will be notified by email on Sept. 16th.

JURY: The jury will include members of the 2013-14 Atmosphere Committee—Lisa Landrum (AR), Rae Bridgman (CP), Alyssa Schwann (ED), Lynn Chalmers (ID), Anna Thurmayr (LA)—and GUEST JURORS: Susan Close (photographer, scholar and Associate Professor in the Dept. of Interior Design); Richard Holden (independent photographic artist, writer and professional curator); Courtney Thompson (art critic, scholar and gallery assistant at aceartInc); and Alison Gillmor (Art Historian and CBC Arts Reviewer).

Good luck! Have fun! Act!

REFERENCES:

Étienne-Jules Marey; Berenice Abbot; Harold Edgerton; Cartier Bresson; Herbert List; René Burri; Florian Böhm; Brassaï; Robert Doisneau; Yasuhiro Ishimoto; Thomas Struth; Drik; Dorothea Lange; Margaret Bourke-White; Edward Burtynsky; Alfredo Jaar; Jeff Thomas; Abelardo Morell; Vik Muniz; Jeff Wall.