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Photography
Dialogue with silence - Paros @hf 2008
Photos have changed ever since the digital cameras have arrived. Until then the camera obscura and the dark chamber needed for developing the film went together. It was an art to perceive something, the chemical process withstanding, if the image was to make an imprint in more than just one sense. Josef Karsh knew that when he made only black and white portraits of figures like Kennedy, Churchill and many other persons who made it as well in the wax cabinet.
What sense is there to European Capitals of Culture to highlight photography on its own terms, while ignoring how often images are used to send a message? The many forms of modern design allow for some further analysis. For instance, the poster for the Le Corbusier exhibition in Marseille 2013 played with the idea of light and shade.
Valletta 2018 and Paphos 2017
The European Capital of Culture Connection
Our connection with other European Capitals of Culture continues to strengthen as we approach 2018. The ‘Tale of Two Cities’ photography exhibition by David Pisani captures 29 years of documenting Valletta’s building together with his photographic essay on Nicosia and conflict area in northern Cyprus. This exhibition is taking place in Pafos, Cyprus’ European Capital of Culture 2017, from the 6th March till the 20th March, after which the exhibition will travel to Valletta in 2018. KIRANA, Ruben Zahra’s children’s music project is also heading to Pafos, with a performance scheduled for the 18th March following five workshops by professional artists with children. Our next shipment of potato crops and Maltese poetry is good to go to our sister European Capital of Culture in 2018, Leeuwarden, through our collaborative project Poetry in Potato Bags in which we exchange languages and potatoes.
Source: Valletta 2018 Newsletter March 2017
Liverpool 2008: Cities on the Edge
In 2008 John Davies was invited to curate, organise and contribute new work for the 'Cities on the Edge' photography project for the Liverpool Culture Company as part of Liverpool Capital of Culture 2008. The Cities on the Edge programme was a cultural initiative of Liverpool and a collaboration between the partner cities of Bremen, Gdansk, Istanbul, Liverpool, Marseille and Naples.
Exhibition
Photographers from 6 European port cities were invited to visit Liverpool in 2008 and explore the relationship - visual, cultural, social, political - between their home city and the host city. The photographer/artists represented are: Gabriele Basilico - Naples, Philippe Conti - Marseille, Wojtek Wilczyk - Gdansk, Sandy Volz - Bremen, Ali Taptik - Istanbul and John Davies - Liverpool.
The resulting exhibition was first shown at Novas, Contemporary Urban Centre, in Liverpool from 13 November to 20 December 2008.
The entire framed exhibition now forms part of the Open Eye Heritage Archive. For exhibition loan details contact the Director, Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool.
Publication
The book 'Cities On The Edge' was published by Liverpool University Press in November 2008. With introduction text by Franco Bianchini, Professor of Cultural Planning & Policy at Leeds Metropolitan University. Edited by John Davies who also provides biographical notes on all the photographers as well as the book cover image. The book has 72 colour and B&W photographs from the six cities and with text translated in the language of each city.
Source: http://www.johndavies.uk.com/cote.htm
Antwerp '93
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