INTERNATIONAL STORYTELLING WORKSHOP 2023
Photo Credit: Priyanka Tulachan, International Storytelling Workshop 2022
We’re excited to announce the upcoming International Storytelling Workshop 2023, for photography and photojournalism students/professionals. Working photographers/photojournalists (less than 10 years of professional experience) are also welcome to apply. This exchange program is organized in collaboration with the Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway, and Pathshala South Asian Media Academy, Bangladesh.
INTRODUCTION
This workshop is an opportunity for Nepali photographers/photojournalists. It opens up a unique space for one to learn and practice as a professional under a valued mentorship. The program consists of a pre-course, a start-up workshop, fieldwork, and an editing workshop. Participants is expected to commit FULL-TIME and should expect to produce an in-depth photo project at the completion of the workshop.
All 6 selected Nepali photographers joining the program will be receiving a grant that will help them with their overall expenses during the entire period of 3 months.
The entire classes will be held in person. Selected 6 Nepali participants will be working alongside other fellow students and mentors from Norway and Bangladesh in Nepal.
Main Tutors for the program:
– MADS NISSEN
– MUNEM WASIF
MADS NISSEN, Denmark
Mads Nissen (1979) is a photographer based in Copenhagen, Denmark.
For Nissen photography is all about empathy – creating understanding, a closeness and intimacy. He strives to build that connection while focusing on contemporary social issues such as inequality, human rights violations and our often destructive relationship with nature.
After graduating in 2007 with distinction from The Danish School of Journalism he moved to Shanghai to document the human and social consequences of China’s historic economic rise. In 2009, he was selected for the Joop Swart Masterclass.
Since 2014 he has worked as a staff photographer at the Danish daily Politiken. His images are also published in Time, Newsweek, CNN, National Geographic, The Guardian, Stern, and Der Spiegel among others.
He frequently gives lectures and workshops and has had solo-exhibitions across Europe and Latin America.
In both 2015 and 2021, his photographs were selected as World Press Photo of the Year. In 2015, his photograph was of an intimate moment between a young gay couple from Russia, and in 2021, ‘The First Embrace,’ depicted an embrace between two women in a carehome in Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2021, he was named ‘Photographer of the Year’ for the fourth time in Denmark. He has also been shortlisted twice as ‘Photographer of the Year’ at the Pictures of the Year International Award (POYi).
Nissen has published three photo books: The Fallen (People’s Press), AMAZONAS (Gyldendal) and most recently in 2018 the award-winning We are Indestructible (GOST Books).
He is internationally represented by Panos Pictures, Prospekt in Italy and LAIF in Germany.
MUNEM WASIF, Bangladesh
Munem Wasif’s image-based works explore the notion of trace in its various forms. His complex installations often mix photographs with moving images, archive documents or collected paraphernalia to reveal notions of impermanence and insecurity. Never exhaustive and always open to interpretation, the narratives they develop simultaneously test the limits of documentary representation and the possibilities of fiction.
Spurred by an awareness of current challenges, Wasif investigates topics that often resonate in the global conversation. His working methodology based on long-term immersion, close contact with his subjects and systematic repetition eschews facile interpretations to convey layered, sensitive and sometimes contradictory observations on complex issues such as food sovereignty, labour exploitation or borders and migration.
Wasif’s work has been included in exhibitions at the Center Pompidou, the Palais de Tokyo & the Visa pour l’image festival in France, at the Whitechapel Gallery, the Kettle’s Yard and the Victoria & Albert museum in England, at the Museu d’Art Contemporani in Spain, at the Musée d’Art et d’Histoire & Fotomuseam Winterthur in Switzerland, at the Kunsthal museum & Noordelicht festival in Netherlands, at the Museum of Modern Art in Poland, at Parasite in Hong Kong, The Factory Contemporary Arts Centre in Vitenam, Gwangju biennale in Korea, Singapore biennale in Singapore, Sharjah Bienalle, Art Jameel and Ishara art foundation in UAE, Asia Pacific Triennial of contemporary art in Australia, and Dhaka Art summit & Chobi Mela in Bangladesh.
Wasif was a Fellow at the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, Germany (2020-2021). He was a regular curator for the Chobi Mela International Festival of Photography (editions VIII to X).
Wasif is represented by Agency Vu in Paris and Project 88 in Mumbai.
SCHEDULE/IMPORTANT DATES
Dec 26, Monday: Application deadline
Dec 30, Friday: Announcement of the selected participants
01 Feb, Wednesday – 06 Feb, Monday: Pre-Course Week
Feb 17 Monday – 21 Friday: Main workshop with Mads Nissen
Feb 22 Monday – Mar 27 Friday: Fieldwork
Mar 28 Monday – April 03 Friday: Editing Workshop with Munem Wasif
April 30: Deadline to submit the final report
DETAILS
The classes will be held in person (offline).
Total duration of the Workshop: 3 Months (Feb – April 2023)
Total number of Nepali participants: 6
Workshop Fee: 20,000 NPR (to be paid in 2 installments (75% in the beginning and 25% upon completion of the workshop)
Production Grant: If selected all 6 selected participants will be eligible to apply for a production grant or exhibition grant from photo.circle, for the work they plan to produce in this workshop.
LEARNING GOALS
* Develop storytelling and reportage skills for newspapers, magazines, the internet, and other media.
* Learn about ways to do research, and methods of fieldwork.
* Learn how to reflect, analyze, and edit one’s own and other’s work.
WORKSHOP STRUCTURE AND WORKING METHODS
The workshop will include lectures, individual assignments, group work, group reviews, independent study, fieldwork, and editing.
* PRE-COURSE: The 4 days pre-course in Kathmandu will include lectures and discussions about developing story ideas and working methodologies. Participants will begin researching their story ideas and establishing contacts. At the completion of the pre-course, participants will be required to submit their story ideas and work plan.
* MAIN WORKSHOP: The workshop will be an intensive 5-day workshop with award winning Danish photographer Mads Nissen, where participants will get a thorough introduction to visual storytelling, discuss different styles, and work on a photo-story.
* FIELDWORK: The 30 day fieldwork period is when the participants will continue the production of their main project. Participants are encouraged to travel to different parts of Nepal keeping in mind health and safety measures. Students are also given an option of receiving production grant from photo.circle as per their production budget and application.
* EDITING WORKSHOP: The editing workshop consists of group and individual sessions where participants will edit their final story. With internationally acclaimed Bangladeshi photographer/Curator/educator Munem Wasif all participants from Nepal, Norway, and Bangladesh with spend 5 days in Kathmandu to learn the fundamentals of Photo Editing.
After the completion of the editing workshop with Munem Wasif, participants will have to submit their completed projects to photo.circle before 15 April, along with a written method report.
Participants will retain copyrights to their work.
Note: Applicants for this exchange program have to Nepali citizens.
HOW TO APPLY?
Email the below mentioned files as an attachment to learning@photocircle.com.np in a compressed folder (folder size more than 20 mb).
– A letter of motivation, telling us about yourself and why you wish to participate in this program. (max 300 words)
– An updated CV
– A portfolio of 15-20 images that demonstrates your storytelling abilities (single images will not be accepted). Files should be 1000px on the longest side, 72 dpi, named as LASTNAME_01.jpg.
Application deadline – Dec 26, 2022.
For questions/concerns/confusions regarding the program, tuition fees, production grant/exhibition grant, and the overall application procedures, please do not hesitate to contact:
Sagar Chhetri, Program Coordinator
sagar@photocircle.com.np / learning@photocircle.com.np
+9779808380219