Guest Curator Text by Yining He
With the medium’s boundless possibilities, the photography field has never been as evolutionary, diverse, and exciting as it is now. However, despite being multifarious and expansive, works produced in recent times, especially by young artists, often fall prey to becoming cursory at the expense of conforming to the accelerated pace of today’s world.
This is where education becomes the vital ingredient in building tomorrow’s storytellers – it grounds practitioners not just in their temporal but spatial and emotional realms of individual/collective existence. It guides them in exploring this crucial ‘depth of perspective.’ In Bangladesh, for instance, our [Pathshala’s] primary role as an educational platform has been more community-driven than industry- driven. It has the sole purpose of inculcating within its students an essence of self and
meaning that moves beyond frames and can eventually lead to works and narratives that bring light onto subjects that are yet to reach a wider audience.
With the medium’s boundless possibilities, the photography field has With a platform like ‘Blurring the Lines’, young artists, and storytellers from across the globe gain access to the unique opportunity of connecting to the broader public and crossing that critical first step after graduation into their lifelong learning journeys as visual storytelling leaders. As a jury member, evaluating the works of
the young image makers – and with it gaining an understanding of their perspectives, concerns, and motivations – was a moving and exhilarating experience because it provided a rare window into what the future might look like with such talented individuals leading photography into new realms.
PROGRAM DIRECTOR PRESIDENT CO-FOUNDER BLURRING THE LINES
by KLAUS FRUCHTNIS
“I try with my pictures to raise a question, to provoke a debate, so that we can discuss problems together and come up with solutions.” Sebastião Salgado
As photographers, we hold a unique position, armed with a lens that not only captures the world but also reshapes our perception of it. “An Ecology of Seeing” beckons us to delve into our role as creators and harness our images as agents of change. In this era of environmental turmoil, our work must transcend mere documentation and ignite action, fostering a culture where sustainability and the preservation of nature are the core of our visual narratives.
Beyond its unique mode of visual information, photography has become the universal medium through which image-makers ask fundamental questions about the ethics and responsibility of the creator and the sustainability of the medium. Since its invention, photography has been a game-changer in developing and applying a new way of observing, representing, and understanding reality and us. In other words, the advent of photography was a disruptive factor that entered historical and social development. It was understood as an overly complicated activity composed of various human, technical, social, and cultural factors.
The current state of the world’s environment, characterized by climate change, the loss of biodiversity, the depletion of resources, and various forms of pollution, represents a critical cultural challenge that requires individual and collective action. Our call to action seeks to promote a sense of responsibility for our actions’ impact on society, the economy, and the environment while proposing solutions to these pressing issues. While the theme of ecological crisis is a central focus for our call, we welcome a broad range of projects that address other urgent local matters. Our selection process prioritizes projects that provide unique perspectives on the world around us and leverage the power of imagery as a crucial tool for advancing sustainable development and conservation initiatives. Through this year’s theme, we aim to showcase the diverse responses of image-makers to contemporary ecological challenges and encourage the emergence of a new culture focused on nature and sustainability.
The esteemed selection panel for this edition included the winners of our 2022 edition: Olivia Morris Andersen, Katia Motylova, Abriansyah Liberto, and Ragna Arndt-Maric, winner of the 2020 edition, alongside members of the Blurring the Lines board and our guest curator, Yining He. Out of the 159 exemplary projects submitted by 36 schools from 23 countries worldwide, the curators have chosen 3 winners, Vanessa Cowling, Natasha Lozinskaya, and Tong Niu, 34 finalists, and provided 8 special mentions for this eighth edition.
We extend our gratitude to the institutions and their talented individuals for their active participation and to our partners for their unwavering support: Urbanautica Institute, European Cultural Centre, FOTODOK, and Paris College of Art. Their contributions have been instrumental in making this edition a success.
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