ONLINE | PRE-RECORDED
Advanced Experimental Techniques
Duration: 2 months | Start date: October 7
How do I sign up?
This course is part of the first block of the Diploma in Experimental Photography, a creative journey designed to help you develop your style and take your images to the next level. Here, we explore unconventional processes, creative resources, and techniques that will open up a world of possibilities. The most rewarding part is experiencing it as part of the full Diploma, connecting lessons learned, building experiences, and growing step by step. However, if you only want to focus on this module right now, you can also enroll separately for €125.
What does it mean to go beyond in experimental photography?
Those who have been exploring experimental photography for some time will find this course an opportunity to delve into more complex and creative techniques, many of them the result of combining different processes.We'll also explore how to adapt, transform, and bring these techniques to life,leaving room for freedom and imagination.
In eight sessions, we'll begin with a live lecture that will offer a panoramic view of the possibilities for research and creation based on what we already know. We'll then dive into workshops and pre-recorded lectures to delve deeper and break new ground. We'll close with a final session in which we'll share our created projects and explore ways to continue growing, refining our personal language, and defining our expertise within experimentation.
Techniques
Intervention • Collage • Ecological Photography • Experimental 3D • Digital Art • Experimental Polaroid • Experimental Cinema • Scanography • Light Painting
Content
8 sessions • 9 techniques • 11 workshops • 3 meetings • 23 conferences • 1 chat to share material and solve doubts
Check out the full program!
OCTOBER 7 | LIVE | ONLINE | 5-PM (Spain)
Ágora Presentation Meeting
Meeting: Experimental photography: concepts, debates and techniques with Pablo Giori
Conferences:
• Are we Really Going Against the Apparatus? with Niklas Washausen + Irina Chernikova + Stig Marlon Weston
• The Value of Lo-Fi, DIY, and Accessibility in Experimental Photography with John Beaver, Annette Golaz, Laura Pannack and Alex Kantoros
• Collaborative Art History with Arantxa Berganzo
• A Social History of Experimentation: Science, Analog, Digital, and Starting Over with Pablo Giori
October 12
Intervened Photography I: Alchemy and Collage
Workshops:
• Experimental Alchemy: Film Interventions with Haluro de Clara
• Collage: Body and Landscape with Mariana Mizarela
• Collage with AI Generated Images with Celine Pilch
Conferences:
• The Inherent Convening Power of Photography with Rafael Paris
• Animating Images through Archival Practices with Carla Helmbrecht
October 19
Sustainable Photography
Workshops:
• Eco-Conscious Photography for a Sustainable Photographic Future with Josie Purcell
• The Botanical Image with Paula Dornan
Conferences:
• Polluting Photography: Alternative Chemistry and Organic Processes with Kimberly Halyburton and Marc Rider
• Explorations in Biodegradable Substrates, Recycling, and Homemade Developing with Dulce Delia and Javier Piñana
Webinar: Ecology-Inspired Photography: Fusing Historical Techniques with a Contemporary Vision with Almudena Romero and Edd Carr
October 26
Experimental 3D and Digital Art
Workshop: Introduction to experimental 3D art Blender with Irina Chernikova
Conferences:
• Volumetría y programación de la realidad con Felipe Elgueta
• Darkroom, Smartphone and Artificial Intelligence with Ivona Tau, John Beaver and Andrey Piletsky
• Generative Art with Pierre Paslier and Luca Bendandi
• Into the Underworld / Ngā Mahi Rarowhenua with Chirag Jindal
• Slit-Scan Photography: From Cinema to Digital and Beyond with Ralph Nevins
• From Analog Photography to AI-Generated Images and Back Again with Francesco Amorosino, Jakub Tadeusz Gadek, and Ralph Nevins
October 28 |LIVE | ONLINE| 5-PM (Spain)
Ágora Monthly Community Meeting
November 2
Polaroid Experimental II
Workshops:
• Chemical Interventions in Polaroid with Rosalie Anderson
• Experimental Lightpainting – a Polaroid adventure with Felicita Russo
Conference: Experimental Polaroid Experimental with Erin Delsigne and Estefi Brussa
November 9
Photography in Motion: Experimental Cinema
Workshops:
• Handmade Cinema and Direct Animation with Cali M. Banks
• Animación con cámaras térmicas con Sibux
Conferences:
• Cine experimental: found footage y contar nuestra historia con Ana Martínez y Mariana Bellone
• Fotografía y danza: hibridismo y experimentación con Ana Mundim
• Cine y Experimentación con Carmela Silva y Daniel Henríquez
November 16
Exploring other Uses
Workshops:
• Creating Cameras from Scanners: Scanography with Guilherme Maranhão
• Light Painting with Fire and Water with Vitor Schietti
Conferences:
• Randomness and Random Approaches in Photography with Ergül Karagözoğlu
• Impermanent Sculptures and Lumen-Print’o’Grams with Vitor Schietti and Gal Wachs
• Glass, Light, and Time: A Journey Through the Wet Plate Process with Quinn Jacobson
• In Absentia: The Art of Cameraless Photography with Geoffrey Batchen
November 18 | LIVE | ONLINE | 5-PM (Spain)
Closing of Ágora Meeting
Presentations of student work, viewing of references and dynamics with questions
More details
Designed for: People who already have experience with experimental photography techniques and want to expand their knowledge and creative skills.
Admission Requirements: It is recommended to have completed the beginner and/or intermediate techniques courses.
Goals:
• Explore and master advanced techniques in experimental photography. • Encourage creativity and experimentation while seeking your own artistic voice and specialization. • Deepen your understanding of technique interaction and cross-pollination through workshops and thematic conferences.
Price: 125 euros.
Duration:
30 hours of classes. Each student manages their own time. The meetings have scheduled times, but it is not mandatory to participate live; students can watch the recorded videos later.
Approximate time dedicated weekly: 3-5 hours.
Modality: Pre-recorded online with 3 live meetings
Language: English with videos in Spanish and subtitles in English.
Starting Date: October 7, 2026.
What’s included:
• Unlimited lifetime access to all content from live and pre-recorded classes (workshops, lectures, and downloadable additional materials). • Be a member of the Ágora Community: participate for free in our monthly Online Meetings and showcase your work on our social media platforms. • Access the exclusive Ágora Community WhatsApp group with special discounts, direct contact with the instructors and the Ágora team, monthly updates, and exclusive content.
Required Materials:
In each class, the necessary materials are explained. The materials you need will be explained in each class. We recommend watching the class first and then deciding what materials you want to buy. With this link, you can see where to buy the materials in many cities around the world.
ONLINE | PRE-RECORDED | BIMONTHLY
HISTORIES, THEORIES AND DEBATES ON EXPERIMENTAL PHOTOGRAPHY:
FROM ORIGINS TO HISTORICAL AVANT-GARDES
HISTORIES, THEORIES AND DEBATES ON EXPERIMENTAL PHOTOGRAPHY:
FROM ORIGINS TO HISTORICAL AVANT-GARDES
PHOTOGRAPHY WAS BORN AS A TESTING GROUND. SCIENTISTS, INVENTORS, CRAFTSPEOPLE, AND ARTISTS INVESTIGATED SENSITIVE MATERIALS, CAMERAS, CHEMICALS, AND FORMS OF REPRESENTATION WITHOUT KNOWING EXACTLY WHAT RESULTS THEY WOULD OBTAIN.
THIS COURSE TRACES THAT HISTORY FROM THE FIRST EXPERIMENTS OF THE 19TH CENTURY TO KODAK, PICTORIALISM, THE HISTORICAL AVANT-GARDES, THE BAUHAUS, CONSTRUCTIVISM, CRITICAL THEORY, ABSTRACTION AND CONCEPTUAL ART.
HISTORIES, THEORIES AND DEBATES ON EXPERIMENTAL PHOTOGRAPHY:
FROM ORIGINS TO HISTORICAL AVANT-GARDES
ORIGINS OF PHOTOGRAPHY
SCIENCE AND EXPERIMENTATION
HISTORICAL AVANT-GARDES
BAUHAUS
CONSTRUCTIVISM
CRITICAL THEORY
ABSTRACTION
CONCEPTUAL ART
PHOTOGRAPHIC THINKING
ANALOG AND DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY
EXPANDED PHOTOGRAPHY
POST-PHOTOGRAPHY
CONTEMPORARY DEBATES
HISTORIES, THEORIES AND DEBATES ON EXPERIMENTAL PHOTOGRAPHY:
FROM ORIGINS TO HISTORICAL AVANT-GARDES
ORIGINS OF PHOTOGRAPHY
SCIENCE AND EXPERIMENTATION
HISTORICAL AVANT-GARDES
BAUHAUS
CONSTRUCTIVISM
CRITICAL THEORY
ABSTRACTION
CONCEPTUAL ART
PHOTOGRAPHIC THINKING
ANALOG AND DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY
EXPANDED PHOTOGRAPHY
POST-PHOTOGRAPHY
CONTEMPORARY DEBATES
ORIGINS OF PHOTOGRAPHY
SCIENCE AND EXPERIMENTATION
HISTORICAL AVANT-GARDES
BAUHAUS
CONSTRUCTIVISM
CRITICAL THEORY
ABSTRACTION
CONCEPTUAL ART
PHOTOGRAPHIC THINKING
ANALOG AND DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY
EXPANDED PHOTOGRAPHY
POST-PHOTOGRAPHY
CONTEMPORARY DEBATES
HISTORIES, THEORIES AND DEBATES ON EXPERIMENTAL PHOTOGRAPHY:
FROM ORIGINS TO HISTORICAL AVANT-GARDES
ORIGINS OF PHOTOGRAPHY
SCIENCE AND EXPERIMENTATION
HISTORICAL AVANT-GARDES
BAUHAUS
CONSTRUCTIVISM
CRITICAL THEORY
ABSTRACTION
CONCEPTUAL ART
PHOTOGRAPHIC THINKING
ANALOG AND DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY
EXPANDED PHOTOGRAPHY
POST-PHOTOGRAPHY
CONTEMPORARY DEBATES
COURSE CALENDAR
THE COURSE IS OFFERED FOUR TIMES DURING THE ACADEMIC YEAR. EACH EDITION FOLLOWS THE SAME PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH AND COMBINES PRE-RECORDED CLASSES WITH LIVE SESSIONS. THE RECORDED CLASSES CAN BE VIEWED AT YOUR OWN PACE AND REMAIN AVAILABLE WITH UNLIMITED ACCESS.
LIVE MEETING SCHEDULES:
WEDNESDAYS FROM 5:00 PM TO 7:00 PM (SPAIN TIME) IN ENGLISH
WEDNESDAY 7:00 PM TO 9:00 PM (SPAIN TIME) IN SPANISH
CHOOSE THE EDITION THAT BEST SUITS YOUR CALENDAR.
12/10
19/10
07/10
A CLASS DEDICATED TO BUILDING AN OPEN AND CRITICAL DEFINITION OF EXPERIMENTAL PHOTOGRAPHY. RATHER THAN SIMPLY USING UNCONVENTIONAL TECHNIQUES, EXPERIMENTAL PHOTOGRAPHY QUESTIONS THE NORMS OF THE MEDIUM, INVESTIGATES ITS MATERIALS, AND UNCOVERS NEW CREATIVE POSSIBILITIES. IN THIS SESSION WE WILL EXPLORE: THE RELATIONSHIPS AND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN EXPERIMENTAL, CREATIVE, ALTERNATIVE, HISTORICAL, AND CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHY. THE EXPERIMENTAL ATTITUDE AS A PRACTICE OF RESEARCH, NONCONFORMITY, AND THE PURSUIT OF KNOWLEDGE. INDUSTRIAL PHOTOGRAPHY VERSUS EXPERIMENTAL PHOTOGRAPHY: STANDARDIZATION CONTRASTED WITH THE DIVERSITY OF PROCESSES AND PERSPECTIVES. THE ROLE OF ERROR, CHANCE, REPETITION, MANIPULATION, AND INTERDISCIPLINARITY IN IMAGE-MAKING. KEY MOMENTS IN THE HISTORY OF PHOTOGRAPHIC EXPERIMENTATION. THE CREATIVE PROCESS AS A SPACE FOR DISCOVERY, BEYOND THE FINAL OUTCOME.
A CLASS DEDICATED TO BUILDING AN OPEN AND CRITICAL DEFINITION OF EXPERIMENTAL PHOTOGRAPHY. RATHER THAN SIMPLY USING UNCONVENTIONAL TECHNIQUES, EXPERIMENTAL PHOTOGRAPHY QUESTIONS THE NORMS OF THE MEDIUM, INVESTIGATES ITS MATERIALS, AND UNCOVERS NEW CREATIVE POSSIBILITIES. IN THIS SESSION WE WILL EXPLORE: THE RELATIONSHIPS AND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN EXPERIMENTAL, CREATIVE, ALTERNATIVE, HISTORICAL, AND CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHY. THE EXPERIMENTAL ATTITUDE AS A PRACTICE OF RESEARCH, NONCONFORMITY, AND THE PURSUIT OF KNOWLEDGE. INDUSTRIAL PHOTOGRAPHY VERSUS EXPERIMENTAL PHOTOGRAPHY: STANDARDIZATION CONTRASTED WITH THE DIVERSITY OF PROCESSES AND PERSPECTIVES. THE ROLE OF ERROR, CHANCE, REPETITION, MANIPULATION, AND INTERDISCIPLINARITY IN IMAGE-MAKING. KEY MOMENTS IN THE HISTORY OF PHOTOGRAPHIC EXPERIMENTATION. THE CREATIVE PROCESS AS A SPACE FOR DISCOVERY, BEYOND THE FINAL OUTCOME.
A CLASS DEDICATED TO BUILDING AN OPEN AND CRITICAL DEFINITION OF EXPERIMENTAL PHOTOGRAPHY. RATHER THAN SIMPLY USING UNCONVENTIONAL TECHNIQUES, EXPERIMENTAL PHOTOGRAPHY QUESTIONS THE NORMS OF THE MEDIUM, INVESTIGATES ITS MATERIALS, AND UNCOVERS NEW CREATIVE POSSIBILITIES. IN THIS SESSION WE WILL EXPLORE: THE RELATIONSHIPS AND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN EXPERIMENTAL, CREATIVE, ALTERNATIVE, HISTORICAL, AND CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHY. THE EXPERIMENTAL ATTITUDE AS A PRACTICE OF RESEARCH, NONCONFORMITY, AND THE PURSUIT OF KNOWLEDGE. INDUSTRIAL PHOTOGRAPHY VERSUS EXPERIMENTAL PHOTOGRAPHY: STANDARDIZATION CONTRASTED WITH THE DIVERSITY OF PROCESSES AND PERSPECTIVES. THE ROLE OF ERROR, CHANCE, REPETITION, MANIPULATION, AND INTERDISCIPLINARITY IN IMAGE-MAKING. KEY MOMENTS IN THE HISTORY OF PHOTOGRAPHIC EXPERIMENTATION. THE CREATIVE PROCESS AS A SPACE FOR DISCOVERY, BEYOND THE FINAL OUTCOME.
19/10
26/10
PHOTOGRAPHY ENTERS A PERIOD OF RUPTURE. MOVEMENT, CHANCE, COLLAGE, PHOTOMONTAGE, AND CAMERALESS IMAGES BECOME TOOLS FOR QUESTIONING TRADITIONAL REPRESENTATION AND RESPONDING TO THE POLITICAL AND SOCIAL TRANSFORMATIONS OF THE TIME. FUTURIST PHOTODYNAMISM AND THE REPRESENTATION OF MOVEMENT, TIME, AND SPEED. DADAISM AND THE USE OF COLLAGE, PHOTOMONTAGE, APPROPRIATION, AND ABSURDITY. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN IMAGE, PROPAGANDA, REVOLUTION, THE PRESS, AND MASS CULTURE. SURREALISM, AUTOMATISM, CHANCE, AND THE EXPLORATION OF THE UNCONSCIOUS. RAYOGRAPHS, SOLARIZATION, AND THE EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH OF MAN RAY. THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF HANNAH HÖCH, CLAUDE CAHUN, DORA MAAR, AND OTHER WOMEN ARTISTS OF THE AVANT-GARDES. THE SHIFT FROM FORMAL EXPERIMENTATION TOWARDS POLITICAL, DOCUMENTARY, AND SOCIAL PHOTOGRAPHY DURING THE 1930S.
02/11
NEW SOCIETIES DEMANDED NEW IMAGES. THIS CLASS EXPLORES HOW RUSSIAN CONSTRUCTIVISM AND CRITICAL THEORY UNDERSTOOD PHOTOGRAPHY AS A POLITICAL TOOL, A MEANS OF REPRODUCTION, AND A WAY OF INTERVENING IN COLLECTIVE LIFE. THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION AND THE EMERGENCE OF AN ART CONNECTED TO SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION. CONSTRUCTIVISM AND THE INTEGRATION OF PHOTOGRAPHY, DESIGN, ARCHITECTURE, AND PROPAGANDA. ALEKSANDR RODCHENKO AND THE SEARCH FOR NEW POINTS OF VIEW FOR A NEW SOCIETY. EL LISSITZKY, PHOTOMONTAGE, AND POLITICAL COMMUNICATION. WALTER BENJAMIN AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE WORK OF ART THROUGH MECHANICAL REPRODUCTION. THE DEBATE AROUND AURA, ORIGINAL, COPY, CULTURAL INDUSTRY, AND COLLECTIVE EXPERIENCE. THE FRANKFURT SCHOOL AND THE CRITIQUE OF MASS MEDIA. PHOTOGRAPHY AS A TOOL FOR EMANCIPATION, PERSUASION, SURVEILLANCE, OR CONTROL.
09/11
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN PHOTOGRAPHY STOPS REPRESENTING THE WORLD AND BEGINS TO ANALYZE ITSELF? THIS CLASS EXPLORES DIFFERENT MOVEMENTS THAT USED LIGHT, MATERIALS, SEQUENCE, THE BODY, AND THE PHOTOGRAPHIC APPARATUS ITSELF AS SUBJECTS OF INVESTIGATION. PHOTOGRAPHIC ABSTRACTION AND THE QUESTIONING OF REALISM AND THE SUPPOSED TRUTH OF THE IMAGE. VORTICISM, SUBJECTIVE PHOTOGRAPHY, CONCRETE PHOTOGRAPHY, AND GENERATIVE PHOTOGRAPHY. THE INFLUENCE OF THE BAUHAUS, CONSTRUCTIVISM, AND EXPRESSIONISM ON POSTWAR PHOTOGRAPHY. THE CAMERA, NEGATIVE, PAPER, LIGHT, AND CHEMISTRY AS SUBJECTS WITHIN THE WORK ITSELF. CONCEPTUALISM AND THE USE OF PHOTOGRAPHY AS DOCUMENT, INSTRUCTION, ARCHIVE, OR SERIES. THE ROLE OF PERFORMANCE, THE BODY, AND HAPPENINGS IN THE PRACTICES OF THE 1960S AND 1970S. THE EMERGENCE OF PHOTOGRAPHY IN MUSEUMS, GALLERIES, AND THE CONTEMPORARY ART MARKET. THE TENSION BETWEEN FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY, EXPERIMENTAL PHOTOGRAPHY, AND ART MADE THROUGH PHOTOGRAPHIC MEDIA.
16/11
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN PHOTOGRAPHY STOPS REPRESENTING THE WORLD AND BEGINS TO ANALYZE ITSELF? THIS CLASS EXPLORES DIFFERENT MOVEMENTS THAT USED LIGHT, MATERIALS, SEQUENCE, THE BODY, AND THE PHOTOGRAPHIC APPARATUS ITSELF AS SUBJECTS OF INVESTIGATION. PHOTOGRAPHIC ABSTRACTION AND THE QUESTIONING OF REALISM AND THE SUPPOSED TRUTH OF THE IMAGE. VORTICISM, SUBJECTIVE PHOTOGRAPHY, CONCRETE PHOTOGRAPHY, AND GENERATIVE PHOTOGRAPHY. THE INFLUENCE OF THE BAUHAUS, CONSTRUCTIVISM, AND EXPRESSIONISM ON POSTWAR PHOTOGRAPHY. THE CAMERA, NEGATIVE, PAPER, LIGHT, AND CHEMISTRY AS SUBJECTS WITHIN THE WORK ITSELF. CONCEPTUALISM AND THE USE OF PHOTOGRAPHY AS DOCUMENT, INSTRUCTION, ARCHIVE, OR SERIES. THE ROLE OF PERFORMANCE, THE BODY, AND HAPPENINGS IN THE PRACTICES OF THE 1960S AND 1970S. THE EMERGENCE OF PHOTOGRAPHY IN MUSEUMS, GALLERIES, AND THE CONTEMPORARY ART MARKET. THE TENSION BETWEEN FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY, EXPERIMENTAL PHOTOGRAPHY, AND ART MADE THROUGH PHOTOGRAPHIC MEDIA.
18/11
STUDENT WORK PRESENTATIONS, VIEWING OF REFERENCE MATERIALS, AND INTERACTIVE ACTIVITIES WITH QUESTIONS
MORE DETAILS
ADDRESSED TO
PHOTOGRAPHERS, ARTISTS, RESEARCHERS AND PEOPLE INTERESTED IN DELVING DEEPER INTO THE HISTORY, THEORIES AND DEBATES OF EXPERIMENTAL PHOTOGRAPHY.
ADDRESSED TO
PHOTOGRAPHERS, ARTISTS, RESEARCHERS AND PEOPLE INTERESTED IN DELVING DEEPER INTO THE HISTORY, THEORIES AND DEBATES OF EXPERIMENTAL PHOTOGRAPHY.
REQUIREMENTS
NO PRIOR THEORETICAL, HISTORICAL, OR PHOTOGRAPHIC KNOWLEDGE IS REQUIRED.
12 HOURS IN DURATION
NO PRIOR THEORETICAL, HISTORICAL, OR PHOTOGRAPHIC KNOWLEDGE IS REQUIRED.
LANGUAGE
SPANISH AND ENGLISH
APPROXIMATE WEEKLY TIME COMMITMENT:
5 HOURS, EACH STUDENT MANAGES THEIR OWN TIME.
APPROXIMATE WEEKLY TIME COMMITMENT:
5 HOURS, EACH STUDENT MANAGES THEIR OWN TIME.
APPROXIMATE WEEKLY TIME COMMITMENT:
5 HOURS, EACH STUDENT MANAGES THEIR OWN TIME.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
OF THE LIVE AND PRE-RECORDED CLASSES, WORKSHOPS, CONFERENCES AND ADDITIONAL DOWNLOADABLE MATERIALS.