The photographs are displayed side by side in a series by each photographers. The style and fonts used to describe the photography series are the same, all done in minimal fashion. I think it is probably to make it look formal, simple, and time-saving, as well as to keep to focus on the photographs instead. The names of the photographers are always at the bottom of the photos. I think that the curators grouped the photos that complement each other best, as well as similar color tones together, so as to allow the viewers to pay more attention to each and every photographs.
2) Name a series that attracts you the most. Who is the photographer? What is his or her work about? Explain what you like about it.
It is quite hard for me to name just one series but out of all the photographs I have seen the entire day, only 2 series caught my eye.
After School by Lau Chi-Chung is one of them because they give me a very nostalgic feel. "For this series, I used a representation of a student as my response to the rapid changes in various spaces in a city. How much difference is there between the things we learn from teachers and books and the actual situations we face in our daily lives? Students seem to be more curious of their surroundings and grown-ups tend to be uncertain most of the time. Is the city we live in more absurd, or does the pedagogy of our time never actually catch up with the world of constant changes?"
I feel that it is very relatable because I am always filled with unanswerable questions from my parents and teachers. The series also speaks out to me as it makes me reminisce about wearing a school uniform all over again.
Portraits of Time by Koo Bohn Chang also stood out particularly because I am a huge fan of monochrome colors, textures and minimalistic styles.
The photos, although they are in B&W, have lots of details and they were the only one I observed and bothered to stare intently at for an extended period of time at the festival. Once I lay my eyes on these series, I could not take my eyes away and the rest of the photos in the festival were not appealing to me at all. There is just so much detail to marvel at and it still interests me as I am typing this.
"For a long time my work has expressed a history of certain living things and their decay and disappearance. My concerns have been with man’s mortality, with cherished objects, with animals and plants. Recently I have concentrated my work on simple things such as the lines of a hand’s palm, tree roots, earth and water. The subject of my work is an extension of those projects, specks of dust that have accumulated on the surface of a wall that in turn has been subject to a variety of shocks over a long period of time. As I worked on this piece, I was reminded of a saying they have in India: “What we call the world is an accumulation of dust.” I wonder how many stories the almost invisible traces of dust can tell us?"
Reading this, I think the photographer has succeeded in connecting with me and making me feel exactly what he wants me to feel.
3) Is there any series of photos that explores the topic of work or leisure?
Euromaiden by Brendan Hoffmen. It shows how the police and military personnels handle riots.
"During the winter of 2013/2014, incredible scenes of anti-government protests in Ukraine captivated the world. A ragtag and multi-faceted coalition of students, right-wing nationalists, and ordinary citizens camped and rallied in Kiev’s Independence Square, known as the Maidan, hoping to bring down a corrupt and aloof president. Despite the cold and escalating brutality by the police, over the course of three months these grassroots revolutionaries created and exploited cracks in the regime’s will to stay in power, eventually causing President Viktor Yanukovych to lash out violently, then flee.
While the crisis in Ukraine quickly pivoted to Crimea and unprecedented Russian aggression there, the primary goal of the Euromaidan protests was achieved with the removal of Viktor Yanukovych as president. As the new government of Ukraine struggles to move forward and maintain unity, Yanukovych is on the run, wanted for mass murder."
4) Write some of your thoughts about the festival. What do you think of the festival overall. Would you visit the rest of the exhibits or attend the film screenings on your own time?
Personally, I enjoyed the festival very much even though I didn't enjoy walking from one location to the other under the hot sun. Weirdly enough, I actually enjoyed the interior design of the festival more than the photos displayed probably because I enjoy how simple it is, as compared to the photos. The photos were mostly identical, except for a few that I felt were different. Most of them were just people, people and more people and some landscapes but that was just that. However, the interior was just space, geometric shapes, textures, white and black and I was really quite obsessed with it. I understand that they probably designed it that way to attract lesser attention so our focus would be on the photographs, and that it is cheaper to do it this way but it has gotten most of my attention actually...
I tried visiting DECK again a few weeks later on a Monday, unfortunately, but they were closed and I was a little bit disappointed as I was raving about Koo Bohn Chang's series of photographs to my friend.
Overall, I think the SIPF is not bad but I will only visit it once to see everything, then probably just once more, to look at my favorite series for a last time before they are gone.
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