FIVE DAY PHOTOGRAPHY
MASTERCLASS AND WORKSHOP
WITH DANIEL BLAUFUKS
ON A FARM IN THE NORTH OF PORTUGAL
When?
July 17th to 21th, 2017
Who?
Photographers and others interested in photography, no matter your age. It helps if you practice photography, but it is not a condition. We would like to welcome people who don't practice but want to discuss about it. You can also work in another media and would like to exchange ideas and practices. As long as you are interested, we will be as well.
Whom?
Daniel Blaufuks has been working on the relation between photography and literature, through works like My Tangier with the writer Paul Bowles. More recently, Collected Short Stories displays several photographic diptychs in a kind of “snapshot prose,” a speech based on visual fragments that give indication of private stories on their way to become public. The relation between public and private and individual and collective memory, has been one of the constant interrogations in his work. He has been showing widely and works mainly in photography and video, presenting his work through books, installations and films. The documentary Under Strange Skies was shown at the Lincoln Center in New York. His exhibitions include: Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon, Palazzo delle Papesse, Siena, LisboaPhoto, Centro Cultural de Belém, Lisbon, Elga Wimmer Gallery, New York, Photoespaña, Madrid, where his book Under Strange Skies received the award for Best Photography Book of the Year in the International Category in 2007, the year he received the BES Photo Award as well. He published Terezín with Steidl, Götingen. In 2011 he had a solo show at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro and in 2014 at the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Lisbon. He is currently doing a PhD at the University of Wales with the subject "Photography through the Works of Georges Perec and W. G. Sebald and its Relation to Memory and the Holocaust".
For more information see www.danielblaufuks.com
Where?
The workshop is in a small but old farm in the interior north of Portugal, not very far from its highest peak Serra da Estrela.
The closest city is Viseu and the village is Canas de Senhorim.
The farm is family owned, so you will meet various family members while you are there.There is no farming activity any longer, but there are some friendly animals you might also meet, like cats, dogs, horses, one or two sheep and several birds.The village grew around the farm, so that you can walk out easily and have you own quiet espresso in the morning. There are supermarkets and a quite good restaurant also in walking distance.
What?
Five days with Daniel Blaufuks around photography, film and memory.
We will try to understand each other's work and aim to define where it is going and where it can go.
We will discuss each other's projects and make connections to existing works and artists.
We will talk your projects through and encourage constructive critique from all participants towards each other.
We will help you edit your work and fight with you to make it a better show or a better book.
We will discuss photography in general, but perhaps also talk about art, politics, the world. We will watch some films and read some texts.
You can also photograph in the village and in the nearby landscape, if you wish.
We might drink local wine and maybe see the stars in the evening
.
How?
Group language will be English.
We will be between six and ten participants sitting around in a room or around a swimming pool.
Perhaps there will be guests coming in to talk and discuss, but this not confirmed yet.
We will decide every day how do we want to continue, if it is helpful to continue a specific discussion, see a film and discuss it, go on an assignment in the village or in the mountains…
The aim is to push your work further, make you doubt yourself in order to make you more aware of the dangers of self-satisfaction, so that in the end you will grow and become a better artist.
If there is enough interest we will spend a day or two on book projects and we will improve your dummy. We will also talk about literature that uses photography, like Sebald or Pamuk, so that we try to understand how photography can have different meanings in different contexts.
Daily schedule will be from around 10.30 to 1 p.m., and then from around 3 to 6 p.m.
How do you get here?
The village is Canas de Senhorim, but the nearest train station is in Nelas, where we can pick you up, once we know your arrival time.
The nearest airport is Oporto (easy jet, ryan air, etc.) and from there you can drive, take a bus or a train, we will come and pick you up somewhere near, also if you are lost.
Lisbon is around two and half hours drive, there is also a direct bus and train to Nelas, from where we can pick you up.
If you bring your own car there is free parking on the ground.
How will you live?
The farm is inside the village, so there are different options you can choose:
You can stay with us in private double-bed apartments, full equipped with kitchenette and private bathroom, in front of the swimming-pool. This is the best option, but there are only three available, so first come first served. Price: 30€ single/ 40€ double occupancy a night.
You can stay in the farm in the beautiful remodelled round pigeon house, with views to the mountains, fully equipped with kitchen and bathroom. Price: 40€ a night (there is only one, so please specify when booking to see if it is still available).
You can stay with the family in one of the beautiful rooms in the main house on the farm, some with private bathroom, but not all, so first come first served. Price: 20€ a night.
You can camp for free on the grounds of the farm if you bring your own tent and you can obviously shower in the available nearby bathrooms.
You can book a room by yourself in a nearby pension, hotel or Airbnb.
You can also bring your trailer and park free.
There is a swimming pool free to use.
There is free wifi in most areas, if the signal is weak or not working, there is also a café with free wifi nearby.
How will you eat?
We will offer you a welcome dinner the evening before the workshop starts and then breakfast and lunch in the main room every day.
There are also coffeeshops in the village in five minutes walking distance.
For dinner you can either walk to one of the very few restaurants in the village, drive to the city of Viseu, make your own meal if you are staying in the apartments or have dinner with us for extra 8€ per person, but you have to let us know a day in advance.
What should you bring?
It would be good if you bring your
camera
computer
or a USB stick
books or catalogues you might already have
video work
a printed portfolio (ideally) or the same in a digital format or iPad
a book dummy or exhibition project and works in progress are welcome!
You should be able to talk about your projects clearly, so you might want to write about them beforehand.
How do you apply?
Send an email to casasdovisconde@gmail.com
Please include a short description of yourself and of your motivation.
Attach a maximum of ten not too heavy photographs either as JPEG or as a word or pdf attachment.
The images can be of your work or documentation of your work in other media or exhibition views.
If you do not practice, please write us why you would be interested in participating.
Please also attach a concise but clear statement about the work presented and also a website address or similar, if you have.
Deadline is June 15th, but remember that there is a maximum number of participants of 10, so that the earlier you decide the better.
How much does it cost?
The price for the workshop is 590€.
It includes a welcome dinner on the day you arrive, breakfast and lunch for five days.
It does not include accommodation, except if you are camping.
It does not include dinner or any other extra items. If you need something special please ask beforehand.
Also please advise if you have specific diets, if you are vegetarian or otherwise, to see if we can accommodate your wishes.
Payment is 50% once you have been accepted and the rest before your arrival, not later than July 7th.
Only after first payment you will be guaranteed to have a place. Same applies for housing facilities.
If you decide to cancel short-notice, we will only be able to refund you, if we can find someone else to replace you.
What do we want?
We want you to be happy in the end, so please ask us anything beforehand, so that your expectations are lower or at the same level of what we can offer.
ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS PLEASE EMAIL US AT casasdovisconde@gmail.com