1000 WORDS WORKSHOP WITH ERIK KESSELS IN MOROCCO, SEPTEMBER 2011

*17.07.11 THERE ARE STILL TWO PLACES AVAILABLE-APPLY NOW!-DEADLINE EXTENDED TO 14.08.11!*

After two very successful workshops with Antoine d'Agata and Anders Petersen, 1000 Words is very pleased to present its third with Erik Kessels in Fez, Morocco (12-17 September 2011). Though the camera will be the tool, this workshop will appeal to creatives from all visual disciplines, not just photography.

"Nowadays, we consume images without really looking at them. It's every photographer's duty to make images that stand out from the daily visual clutter." Erik Kessels

Please scroll down for more information and how to submit.

ERIK KESSELS:

Erik Kessels' list of achievements are extensive. He is best described as a curator and publisher who conceptualises vernacular photography and produces unusual artworks. He is a founding partner and Creative Director of the highly successful and innovative advertising agency, KesselsKrammer in Amsterdam (yes, that is the actual website). He has won numerous awards and KesselsKramer comprises of thirty eight people from eight different countries and has been operating since 1996. He has designed, edited and published several books on vernacular photography through KesselsKramer Publishing – including the in almost every picture series, The Instant Men and Wonder. Since 2000, he has been an editor of the alternative photography magazine Useful Photography.

Erik is also noted for his particularly original curated exhibitions such as Loving Your Pictures at the Centraal Museum Utrecht, The Netherlands and at Les Rencontres Internationales de la Photographie, Arles. He was one of four curators (alongside Lou Reed, Fred Ritchin and Vince Aletti) of the New York Photo Festival 2010 where he presented the exhibition Use Me Abuse Me.

Aside from all that, Erik is a very nice man with a creative spirit second to none. His conceptual approach and playful attitude will push those who are open to exploring more lateral ways of image-making.

ABOUT US:

The organisation's flagship is 1000 Words, an online magazine dedicated to contemporary photography in the UK and beyond. It reviews exhibitions and photobooks and publishes interviews, essays and multimedia. We are committed to showing the work of lesser-known but significant artists alongside that of established photographers in the aim of bringing their work to a wider audience. Often incredibly diverse in terms of subjects, concepts, styles and techniques, yet by covering a wide spectrum of genres 1000 Words intends to make us reconsider the contemporary photograph.

Released quarterly, the magazine attracts over 140,000 unique visitors from more than 75 countries every month. In May 2010 the 1000 Words Blog was ranked at number 3 in The Top 25 UK Arts & Culture Blogs as part of a survey carried out by Creative Tourist and was also named as the winner of Arts Media Contacts' Photography Blog of the Year Award, 2010.

Yet 1000 Words is much more than just an online magazine. It is the first step in our concept. 1000 Words also operates a programme of exhibitions and events including four annual workshops in Fez, Morocco as well as talks, portfolio reviews, prizes and awards. In July 2010, we launched the 1000 Words Collection, in partnership with Troika Editions, offering limited edition photography prints at affordable prices from artists including Simon Roberts, JH Engstrom, Bruno Quinquet, Sarah Small, Trinidad Carrillo, Andrew Bruce, Leigh Ledare, Nuno Cera and Virgilio Ferreira.

1000 Words is governed by its board of directors who play an active role in the direction of the organisation. They are: Camilla Gore, Nicholas Barker, Simon Baker, Aron Morel, Louise Clements, Tim Clark, Michael Grieve and Norman Clark. The 1000 Words Workshops are organised by Tim Clark, founder and editor-in-chief at 1000 Words and Michael Grieve, 1000 Words deputy editor, lecturer at Nottingham Trent University and a photographer represented by Agence Vu.

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP:

The 1000 Words Workshop takes place in an authentically restored riad situated in the medieval medina, at the heart of the beautifully evocative city of Fez, Morocco. The workshop will be an intense experience lasting six days between 12-17 September 2011 and will consist of 12 participants. The medina is a vibrant labyrinth that will permeate all the senses. Surrounded by the Atlas Mountains, it offers a visually stunning backdrop for this truly unique workshop.

We are looking for a diverse range of participants who understand the work of Erik Kessels and feel that their own art will benefit from his guidance. As we said before, though the camera will be the tool, this workshop will appeal to creatives from all visual disiplines, not just photography.

"A lot of photographers are looking into ways to make their work public," says Erik Kessels. "Almost every photographer has their own website. But for a lot of photographers, there is also a strong need to publish a book or have an exhibition. How do you communicate these needs to the outside world? Also, which kind of tools are there to use?"

Erik Kessels will first give a lecture about his own experiences on these subjects. There will then be a workshop where photographers will find their own way to proceed in their future work. Subjects will be: 'How to edit your own photographs?' 'Self publishing' and 'How can photographers communicate about their own work?'.

Over the course of several days there will be different short briefs for the attending photographers. These will teach them to be more playful and communicative with their own work.


PRACTICAL INFORMATION:

The cost of the workshop will be £1250 for 6 days. Once participants have been selected they will be expected to pay a non-refundable deposit of £350 within two weeks. Participants can then pay the rest of the fee according to deadlines (see below). Participants are encouraged to arrive the day before the workshop begins for a welcome dinner. The price includes:

-tuition from Erik Kessels (inluding defining each participant's project;shooting;editing sessions;creating a coherent body of work;creation of a slide show;projection of the images of the participants.)
-a welcome and farewell dinner
-lunch everyday and snacks during the afternoon
-24 hour help from the 1000 Words team and an assistant/translator with local knowledge.

Participants will be expected to make their own travel arrangements and find accommodation, which in Fez can range from £150 upwards for the week. We can advise on finding the accommodation that best suits you. Remember that most of your time will be spent either at the riad or shooting. For photographers using film we will provide the means for processing and a scanner. Photographers shooting digital will be expected to bring all necessary equipment. Please note that for the purposes and practicalities of a workshop, digital really is advisable. All participants should also bring a laptop if they have one. Every effort will be made to accommodate individual technical needs.

HOW TO SUBMIT:

We require that you send 10 images as low res jpegs and/or a link to your website, as well as a short biography and statement about why you think it will be relevant for you to work with Erik (approx 200 words total). Submissions are to be sent to workshops@1000wordsmag.com with the following subject header: SUBMISSION FOR 1000 WORDS WORKSHOP WITH ERIK KESSELS.

30 June 2011: Deadline for applications
15 July 2011: Successful candidates contacted
29 July 2011: Deposit due (£350)
31 August 2011: Second instalment due (£900)
11 September 2011: Arrive in Morocco for welcoming dinner
12 September 2011: Workshop begins
17 September 2011: Workshop ends

Succes gewenst!

The integrity of Tim Hetherington

From the series Sleeping Soldiers. © Tim Hetherington

Sometimes there are those rare individuals who, in one's life, just seem to be always present. For me, Tim Hetherington was one of those people. Fresh out of university, I wanted to make an impression as a photographer and I started at the Big Issue in 1999. Just before working for them I met the fiercely passionate and committed Tim who had been their only staff
photographer. He had just left the magazine and I wanted to fill his shoes, as, at that time, the Big Issue was doing wonderfully interesting reportage stories. Tim had moved on, indeed he was always moving on at a terrific rate with absolute vision and conviction, forging forward with intellectual rigour and always thinking outside the frame. We met many times over the years and every time we spoke he conveyed his ideas to be a communicator reaching out to the masses, leaving the ego behind. What mattered in life was to inform about complex issues that led to suffering. The stereotype of the photojournalist was not Tim.

He embedded himself so much into the lives’ of those he documented. I remember once at Perpignan the West African characteristics he had picked up in his mannerisms and language from his long stay in Sierra Leone and Liberia. I was in awe of the incredibly smart and sensitive work he did with blind children in Sierra Leone, often the victims of the Revolutionary United Force, and the way in which he linked it to blind children in the UK to show difference and similarity and what it means to see and feel.

My last fond memory was bumping into him at Liberty's store in London on Christmas Eve where we were both frantically trying to find last minute presents; he bought a lovely silk scarf for his sister. Of course we spoke about photography and the lyrical aspects of the medium but I was enthralled by hearing his recent experiences of Liberia and how he was taking time off documenting to work for the United Nations to gather the necessary evidence to convict the ex-president, Charles Taylor, of war crimes.

The huge amount of attention his death has received is for a simple reason and that is that Tim Hetherington was not a superficial photographer. He dug deep, in difficult places, against the odds.

He won the respect of many and I will miss him very much.

Michael Grieve

1000 Words - Board of Directors

We are very proud to announce that 1000 Words has recently appointed a new board of directors with the goal of providing strategic direction, ensuring that objectives are achieved, ascertaining that risks are managed appropriately and verifying that the organisations resource’s are used responsibly. They will be crucial to the next stage of 1000 Words’ development. They are:

Camilla Gore is the Director of Flaere Gallery, based in Paris and London specialising in contemporary photography which she founded in 2009. She has eight years’ experience in finance at Ernst & Young LLP focused on the energy sector and has worked at HSBC advising multinational companies on strategy and raising finance, specialising in Asia. She also acts as a freelance consultant at Brunswick Arts, a leading global communications consultancy dedicated to managing and providing strategic advice to arts organisations, charities and the not-for-profit sector with dedicated teams in London, Berlin, Paris, Beijing, New York, Stockholm and Dubai, working fluently in 13 languages. Gore is also the co-founder of Still/Moving, an artist-led venture that aims to bring artists who are defining a new language in photography to London through week-long workshops. A chartered accountant, she holds an MA in Mandarin Chinese.

Nicholas Barker is an award-winning documentary film-maker, director and passionate art collector. He read anthropology at London University and upon graduating started to work for the BBC World Service directing radio drama during the 1980s. Moving into television he produced the popular series Washes Whiter, Signs of the Times and From A to B followed by a feature film, Unmade Beds; an unflinching looks at the over-forties dating scene in New York produced by Chelsea Pictures in 1996. He is currently shooting advertising commercials and his client list includes Burger King, Utterly Butterly, Whiskas, Carte D’Or, McCains and Volkswagen. Nicholas Barker is represented by Rogue Films (UK), Imported Artists (Canada), Chelsea Pictures (USA), Hot Dog Filmproduktion (Germany) and Le Pac (France).

Simon Baker is Curator of Photography and International Art at Tate. He is Tate’s first curator of photography and joined in 2009 from the University of Nottingham, where he was Associate-Professor of Art History. He has researched and written widely on surrealism, photography, and contemporary art; and co-curated the exhibitions Undercover Surrealism: Georges Bataille and Documents (Hayward, London: 2006) and Close-Up: Proximity and defamiliarisation in art, film, and photography (Fruitmarket, Edinburgh: 2008).

Aron Morel is the Director of Morel Books, a London-based independent publisher specialising in affordable limited edition art books and zines made in close collaborations with artists. Recent titles include Moonmilk by Ryan McGinley, The Wedding by Boris Mikhailov and A Season in Hell by Rimbaud, Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe.

Louise Clements is the Artistic Director and Curator at QUAD, a visual arts and media centre in Derby UK. She is also co-founder and Artistic Director/Curator of FORMAT International Photography Festival, Derby UK. FORMAT is one of the UK’s leading contemporary photography festivals since 2004 whose biennial programme celebrates the best of contemporary photography from all over the world. She also participates on photo juries including Vauxhall Collective Style Council Photography Award, Shoot the Street British Journal of Photography, EXPOSURE UK, New York Photography Festival Awards. Reviews portfolios at events in Slovakia, China, India, UK, USA and more. She has written for various artists, catalogues and magazines in both print and online media including VAGA, Creative Review, Next Level, a-n magazine, Troika Editions and Arts Professional. She is currently collaborating with Mark McPherson at Big City Press on a new edition of Hijacked – contemporary photography from Australia/UK.

Tim Clark is the Editor-in-chief and Director at 1000 Words Photography Magazine. Clark has a background in Photography and Visual Culture from Falmouth College of Arts and the University of Brighton, England and has previously worked as a photography critic at The Barcelona Metropolitan. His writing has also appeared in The British Journal of Photography, a-n Magazine, The Daily Telegraph, Next Level, Foto8, Hotshoe, Eyemazing and Fotograf as well as in various exhibition catalogues. He has judged a number of awards and competitions, and has reviewed portfolios at Les Rencontres d’Arles, BJP Vision, New York’s ICP Career Day, FORMAT International Photography Festival and FotoFest Paris. He lives and works in London.

Michael Grieve was born in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1966. He was educated at the Polytechnic of Central London and graduated with an MA in Photographic Studies from the University of Westminster in 1997. He is a documentary photographer and is represented by Agence VU in Paris. He works for various magazines internationally and specialises in features and portraits. No Love Lost, a project about sexual environments in the UK, is his first photobook and will be published in 2011. He is also the Deputy Editor of 1000 Words and lectures on photography at Nottingham Trent University.

Norman Clark is a chartered management accountant with forty-four years’ experience in the engineering, construction and service industries. During this time, as well as preparing financial group accounts he has had in depth involvement in the fields of corporate governance, development and control of management information systems and business process re-engineering. He was a founding member of the management team that set up of a legal expenses insurance unit for global insurer, Lawclub Legal Protection and has also been running his own accountancy practise for a number of years.

JH Engström, Laura Hynd, Michael Grieve and Tereza Zelenková @Oblong Gallery, London

What Oblong Gallery lacks in space it certainly makes up for with quality. In its next exhibition, the works of JH Engström, Laura Hynd, Michael Grieve and Tereza Zelenkova (all 1000 Words affiliated artists) have been brought together to explore the subjective approach of the authors in their search for meaning in an existential world. Together they embrace the tragedy of dislocation and beauty of absurdity through work that is grounded in the sublime impossibility of the documentary genre. The exhibition is a rare opportunity to understand the sensibilities of four extraordinary art photographers.

JH Engström (1000 Words issue #6 cover artist) is a Swedish photographer of notable distinction. His works, Trying to Dance, Haunts, From Back Home and La Residence have been published by Journal, Max Strom and Steidl, and he has exhibited widely including Galerie Vu in Paris, Gun Gallery in Stockholm and at Arles Photofestival where his project, Wells, was curated by Nan Goldin. At Oblong, Engström is showing photographs from his distinguished series, Trying to Dance.

Laura Hynd (1000 Words Workshop with Antoine d´Agata/Anders Petersen participant)was born in Scotland and is an accomplished photographer who is commissioned by prestigious, national and international magazines and publications. Her current work in progress, The Letting Go, is a significant departure from editorial concerns. With artistic expression, she depicts a deeply personal journey allowing chance to dictate the process, and in doing so explores her identity and her relationship to others. Much of the work is situated in the heart of the vibrant medina of Fez.

Michael Grieve (1000 Words Deputy editor) is a British photographer. His portfolios are regularly published and reviewed in contemporary art photography journals and his last project, No Love Lost, has been exhibited at various galleries and festivals in Europe. His new, on going, body of work, The Foreigner, is photographed in Morocco. It is a fictional documentation of a real place that represents the unfathomable inability to connect with the substance of life.

Tereza Zelenková (1000 Words issue #10 featured artist) is from the Czech Republic and is currently studying at the Royal College of Art. Her highly praised project, Supreme Vice, is a distinctively accomplished set of documentary visual metaphors inspired by the occult that studies the tension between the inability of science to provide satisfactory answers in a world where god is dead. Her work has been regularly reviewed and exhibited. The book, Supreme Vice, is published by Morel Books in 2011.

Oblong Gallery presents JH Engström, Laura Hynd, Michael Grieve and Tereza Zelenková
3-23 March 2011 (Private view 2 March)
69 Southgate Road
London N1

Antoine and beyond

© Michael Grieve / 1000 Words

In October 2010, 1000 Words held its first workshop in the medina of Fez, Morocco with the very special Magnum photographer, Antoine d’Agata. The workshop was a resounding success with all 12 participants producing vibrant and intimate photography. The location of Fez offered unique challenges and presented an intense backdrop for photographers to be truly creative. It is easy to get lost in the medina and this was perhaps the underlining and appropriate theme to the week.

1000 Words (Michael Grieve and Tim Clark) would like to thank all the participants for their tremendous energy and contribution. They completely opened up to the experience and allowed themselves to discover new approaches and push their mental and emotional selves to the limit. The participants were:

Richard Bee, UK
Martin Bogren, Sweden
Laura Hynd, UK
Miwako Homma, Japan
Edoardo Pasero, Italy
Alex Lau, USA
Katie White, USA
Joao Linneu, Brazil
Roberta Holden, Canada
Karin Crona, France
April Mountfort, Australia
Kay Erickson, USA






















© Michael Grieve / 1000 Words

We would also like to thank Antoine d’Agata for his incredible skill as a teacher and for his warm and gracious presence.

The workshop would not have been possible without the assistance of Omar Chennafi for his practical knowledge of Fez and for bringing a wonderfully positive attitude to a fervent and industrious atmosphere. And Vanessa Bonnin, who provided us with the means to process black and white films and sourced the only person in Morocco who supplies the necessary chemicals!

1000 Words is organising four more workshops in Morocco next year and will be making a call for submissions very soon. Until then, check out more photos from the workshop over at the 1000 Words Photography Magazine group on Facebook.

1000 WORDS WORKSHOP WITH ANTOINE D’AGATA IN MOROCCO, OCTOBER 2010

© Antoine d´Agata

1000 Words is proud to present its first workshop with the Magnum photographer, Antoine d’Agata, in Fez, Morocco (25-31 October 2010). We are making a call for photographers, professional and amateur alike, to submit entries for this unique creative experience.

“It isn’t the eye that photography poses on the world that interests me but its most intimate rapport with that world”
Antoine d’Agata

Please scroll down for more information and how to submit.

ANTOINE D’AGATA:

Antoine d’Agata is without doubt one of the most unique and important photographers of our age. His imagery is characterised by an intense and highly subjective experience that pushes the limits of social documentary photography. Born in Marseille, 1961, he left France in 1990 to study at The International Centre for Photography in New York alongside Nan Goldin and Larry Clark. His work has been published in the books Insomnia, Vortex, Stigma and Agonie amongst others, and he has been exhibited internationally at galleries and festivals including Rencontres d’Arles, Noorderlicht, FotoFreo and The Photographers Gallery, London.

He has been a member of Magnum Photos since 2004 and is represented by Galerie Les Filles du Calvaire in Paris.

ABOUT US:

1000 Words Photography is an artist-led organisation that has promoted the work of more than 280 art photographers through publishing and exhibiting opportunities. The organisation´s flagship is 1000 Words, an online magazine dedicated to highlighting the best work in contemporary art photography worldwide. The site attracts approximately 140,000 unique visitors from more than 75 countries every month. The 1000 Words Workshop is organised by Tim Clark, writer and editor-in-chief at 1000 Words and Michael Grieve, 1000 Words contributing editor and photographer represented by Agence Vu.

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP:

The location for the 1000 Words Workshop will be the beautifully evocative city of Fez, Morocco. The salon will take place in an authentically restored riad in the heart of the medieval medina of Fez. The workshop will be an intense experience lasting six days between 25-31 October 2010 and will consist of 12 participants.

We are looking for a diverse range of participants who understand the work of Antoine d’Agata and feel that their own work will benefit from his guidance. Each participant will be asked to examine the ultimate goal of his approach, to play an active part in his own images and to work on the texture of reality. Since images, like words, only take on meaning when brought together, the workshop will focus on finding the most relevant form for each individual stance. Working with Antoine d’Agata, participants must be ready to photograph intensively throughout the workshop and to extend the limits of their approach. They will have to confront their obsessions and contradictions as they shape a series of images conveying in real or fictional terms their private relationship with the world.

Depending on individual needs the daily structure begins with lunch at the riad and during the afternoon Antoine will encourage group participation in looking, critiquing and developing ideas and image making. In the late afternoon participants will begin to photograph. The week will end with a display of the work created. All participants work will be shown in a special feature on 1000 Words Photography magazine. The purpose of the workshop is to concentrate on a very personal approach to photography and certainly this will be a richly rewarding week for those who wish to push themselves.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION:

The cost of the workshop will be £1250 for 6 days. Once participants have been selected they will be expected to pay a non-refundable deposit of £350 within two weeks. Participants can then pay the rest of the fee in two instalments according to deadlines (see below). Participants are encouraged to arrive the day before the workshop begins for a welcome dinner. The price includes tuition from Antoine d’Agata, a welcome and farewell dinner, lunch everyday and snacks during the afternoon, 24 hour help from the 1000 Words team and an assistant with local knowledge. Participants will be expected to make their own travel arrangements and find accommodation, which in Fez can range from £150 upwards for the week. We can advise on finding the accommodation that best suits you. Remember that most of your time will be spent either at the riad or shooting. For photographers using film we will provide the means for processing and a scanner. Photographers shooting digital will be expected to bring all necessary equipment. All participants should also bring a laptop if they have one. Every effort will be made to accommodate individual technical needs.

HOW TO SUBMIT:

We require that you send 10 images as low res jpegs and/or a link to your website, as well as a short biography and statement about why you think it will be relevant for you to work with Antoine (approx 200 words total). Submissions are to be sent to workshops(a)1000wordsmag(dot)com with the following subject header: SUBMISSION FOR 1000 WORDS WORKSHOP IN FEZ OCTOBER 2010. Tim Clark and Michael Grieve will produce a shortlist from the entries (all those shortlisted will be contacted) and then Antoine will select the final 12.

14 June 2010: Deadline for applications
30 June 2010: Successful candidates contacted
14 July 2010: Deposit due (£350)
16 August 2010: Second instalment due (£350)
31 August 2010: Third instalment due (£550)
24 October 2010: Arrive in Morocco
25 October 2010: Workshop begins
31 October 2010: Workshop ends

Bonne chance!

Bruce Gilden

Here is a little something for the weekend. Photography needs more of these characters, don´t you think? Thanks to Michael for the tip-off, who co-incidentallly has just laid his cards on the table and turned his hand to blogging. It makes for a riveting read. Check it out here. Show us your characters.

Michael Grieve

All images taken from No Love Lost © Michael Grieve

1000 Words contributing editor Michael Grieve recently revamped his personal website with a whole new look and feel, and has put up some fresh portfolios as well as stuff from his frequent forays into editorial photography. He is also selling prints from his wonderful series Blue of Night and No Love Lost. Check it out.

It´s no secret that Michael and I are good friends (shock horror!) but, needless to say, I am an avid admirer both of his work and his spirit for life. The images shown above are taken from his trademark project No Love Lost which speaks volumes about intimacy and dislocation in a theatre of sexual commodity. Talking about the body of work, he says "(No Love Lost) is a visual project that inhabits heightened sexual environments in contemporary England. People featured are active in the increasingly entwined and performative worlds of pornography, prostitution and stripping. What they share is a measured psychological engagement with strangers in close proximity that is a purely physical and sexual union lacking in affection. Fantasy is played out within the frame of constraints and closeness is kept at a distance. Menace is always present, control is often threatened. These are emotionally charged settings, both plastic and primitive, where the ‘stuff’ of life is all too present."

"These are real fictional encounters that convey a sense of the difficulties of meaningful human connection in spiritually vacant environments," he adds.

Born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1966, Michael Grieve is based in London and is represented by the prestigious Agence Vu in Paris. He studied an MA in Photographic Studies at the University of Westminster in 1997 and works for a variety of publications internationally including the Sunday Times Magazine, Weekend Guardian Magazine, Liberation, Le Monde and Le Monde 2. He writes for Hotshoe and the British Journal of Photography and, as I mentioned before, is a contributing editor for 1000 Words. His first book, No Love Lost, will be published in the new year. He describes his work generally as ‘searching for the light of possibility in an existential world’. Here´s to you, Michael.