Marking its third anniversary, Seoul Photo Festival celebrates the theme of the ‘local communities and photo archive’ to emphasize the significance of the regional archive and to explore the photography in terms of the social roles it can play and as well as its potentials to encourage social actions.
Titled ‘A Thousand Villages, A Thousand Memories’, this year’s festival is organized with the help of the people; the citizens of Seoul as well as participants from across Korea chipped in and contributed to the celebration with the photographs they collected or took. This exhibition is the record of Seoul, not by the professional artists, researchers or public institutions, but by ten million Seoul citizens, opening a new chapter in the history of this age-old capital city.
The photos will not disappear after the exhibition; they will be stored in the regional archives to be used for the historical and cultural research and studies to strengthen the foundation of the local communities.
■ Structure and Theme of the Exhibition
[Main Exhibition, Part 1] City of Memories: Archaeology of Lives and Memories
Part 1 of the main exhibition brings to life in photography the memories of the people of diverse age groups, occupations, gender and other background. It will shed light on the local history and lives that people can relate to and appreciate the sense of the local communities. The exhibition includes: i) pictures that address the issues of Seoul and its localities, taken by photographers; ii) pictures by the photographers whose photos have been selected at the ‘Project Photographer Contest’; and iii) photos by the locals from 25 districts, selected at the ‘Old Seoul Photography Contest’.
[Main Exhibition, Part 2] Recreating Memories: There and Then
Part 2 displays pictures taken by the citizens in the year significant in terms of the modern Korean history. They were collected via Naver Photo Gallery and organized in the chronological order to show the fragments of time and lives of the past. Reflect on the historical events that are only remembered via the official historical accounts and memories and revive what has been lost or eliminated.
[Special] Place of Memories: It Was Late Summer
This special exhibition is about the places and their stories recorded and collected by people who participated in Naver Photo Gallery photography missions. Explore the special memories of the individuals and the places of personal history.
[Special] Memories of Children
This special exhibition is the fruit of “Children’s Photography Camp – Memories of Children” held as part of Citizen Workshop. Some 200 participants from 13 institutions (11 primary schools, 1 local children’s center and 1 alternative school) in Seoul recollect the memories of themselves and their families with photography, and write the history of their schools in the “Memory Notebook”.
Website: www.seoulphotofestival.com
Blog: blog.naver.com/seoulphotof
Facebook: www.facebook.com/seoulphotof
Twitter: twitter.com/2011spf
View PointsPart
1 and 2 of the main exhibitions at Seoul Museum of Art display the photographs taken by both professional and amateur photographers, adding to the diversity. Looking at the corners of Seoul seen from the eyes of the ordinary citizens will be a refreshing experience to admire the city you have never seen before.
Don’t miss the special exhibitions at Seoul Museum of History and Seoul City Hall. Indulge in the nostalgia of the photographs of the places and stories in the yester years of Seoul.
The pictures are by children, grownups, new residents who just moved to Seoul and a local citizen whose family lived in the city for some 12 generations. They provide new perspectives into the lives of the people and the history of the city – very different from what we have seen and known in the professional and official versions. If you love professional photography, you will love the exhibition. The professional photographers who captured of moments of the past for the last 40 years will surprise you with their insightful works of profound depth.
Another thing you should not miss is the Citizen Class. The festival’s theme, ‘local communities and photo archive’, provides you with an opportunity to meet with some of the best intelligent minds and activists of our time to benefit from their remarkable insights into the city, town, memories, history, photography and Seoul. The classes are by liberal arts experts, architects, photography theorists and art practitioners; it will be an opportunity you cannot miss. And hear what the photographers working in various fields have to say at Photographer Report and learn to take better photographs at the photography technique lecture.
