
ONLINE | PRE-RECORDED | BIMONTHLY
HISTORIES, THEORIES AND DEBATES ON EXPERIMENTAL PHOTOGRAPHY: CONTEMPORARY EXPERIMENTAL PHOTOGRAPHY
WITH PABLO GIORI
SINCE THE SECOND HALF OF THE 20TH CENTURY, PHOTOGRAPHY HAS CEASED TO BE UNDERSTOOD SOLELY AS A TECHNIQUE FOR REPRESENTING REALITY. SOCIOLOGISTS, PHILOSOPHERS, ARTISTS, AND THEORISTS HAVE BEGUN TO STUDY ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH MEMORY, TRUTH, POWER, TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIETY.
THIS COURSE EXPLORES THE MAIN CONTEMPORARY DEBATES FROM BOURDIEU, BARTHES, AND SONTAG TO FLUSSER, LENOT, AND FONTCUBERTA. WE WILL ALSO ANALYZE POLAROID, PINHOLE PHOTOGRAPHY, LOMOGRAPHY, THE ANALOG REVIVAL, EXPANDED PHOTOGRAPHY, AND POST-PHOTOGRAPHY, OBSERVING HOW EACH PRACTICE CHALLENGES ESTABLISHED RULES, DEVICES, AND USES OF THE IMAGE.
THE FUTURE OF PHOTOGRAPHY IS QUESTIONED, EXPERIMENTED WITH, AND BUILT COLLECTIVELY
THIS COURSE PROPOSES A CONSCIOUS, CRITICAL, AND PERSONAL PRACTICE. WE WILL EXPLORE 144 EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUES AND THE QUESTIONS THAT GIVE THEM MEANING, ALONG WITH THEIR LINKS TO PHILOSOPHY, FEMINISM, ECOLOGY, POSTCOLONIAL THOUGHT, FILM, AND POETRY. THEORY, REFERENCES, AND DEBATE WILL HELP TRANSFORM OUR CURRENT PHOTOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVE.
TOPICS
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
CONTENT
13 PRE-RECORDED CLASSES
3 LIVE MEETINGS
SUPPLEMENTARY TEXTS AND RESOURCES
SIGN UP!
€150
2 MONTHS
PRE-RECORDED



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.
PRESENTATION MEETING OF THE AGORA EXPERIMENTAL PHOTOGRAPHY: EXPERIMENTAL PHOTOGRAPHY: CONCEPTS, DEBATES AND TECHNIQUES WITH PABLO GIORI
BETWEEN THE 1960S AND 1980S, PHOTOGRAPHY CEASED TO BE ANALYZED SOLELY AS A TECHNIQUE OR FORM OF ART. SOCIOLOGY, PHILOSOPHY AND CULTURAL STUDIES BEGAN TO INVESTIGATE ITS SOCIAL USES, ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH MEMORY AND ITS INFLUENCE ON THE WAY WE SEE. PIERRE BOURDIEU AND PHOTOGRAPHY AS A SOCIAL, FAMILY AND CULTURAL PRACTICE. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TASTE, SOCIAL CLASS, ARTISTIC LEGITIMACY AND EVERYDAY USES OF THE IMAGE. SUSAN SONTAG AND THE CRITIQUE OF THE ACCUMULATION, CONSUMPTION AND CIRCULATION OF PHOTOGRAPHS. PHOTOGRAPHY AS TRACE, DOCUMENT, SPECTACLE AND TOOL OF SURVEILLANCE. ROLAND BARTHES AND THE CONCEPTS OF STUDIUM AND PUNCTUM. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PHOTOGRAPHY, ABSENCE, MEMORY, DEATH AND PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. QUESTIONING THE IMAGE AS AN OBJECTIVE REPRESENTATION OF REALITY. THE IMPORTANCE OF CONTEXT, INSTITUTIONS AND USES IN CONSTRUCTING THE MEANING OF A PHOTOGRAPH.
MONTHLY MEETING AGORA COMMUNITY
PHOTOGRAPHY BEGINS TO LOOK AT ITSELF IN THE MIRROR OF ITS OWN SYSTEM. THIS CLASS EXPLORES THREE KEY AUTHORS FOR UNDERSTANDING THE PHOTOGRAPHIC APPARATUS, EXPERIMENTATION AS TRANSGRESSION AND THE CONTEMPORARY CRISIS OF TRUTH IN IMAGES. VILÉM FLUSSER AND THE CAMERA UNDERSTOOD AS A PROGRAMMED APPARATUS. THE FIGURES OF THE APPARATUS, THE PROGRAM, THE FUNCTIONARY AND THE PLAYER. EXPERIMENTATION AS A POSSIBILITY OF INTRODUCING UNEXPECTED OUTCOMES INTO THE SYSTEM. MARC LENOT AND EXPERIMENTAL PHOTOGRAPHY AS A CRITICAL REJECTION OF ESTABLISHED RULES. THE IDEA OF “PLAYING AGAINST THE APPARATUS” THROUGH LIGHT, TIME, CHEMISTRY, THE CAMERA AND THE PRINT. JOAN FONTCUBERTA AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF FICTIONS TO QUESTION PHOTOGRAPHIC TRUTH. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MANIPULATION, CHANCE, INFORMATION AND DIGITAL CIRCULATION. FROM PHOTOGRAPHY AS DOCUMENTATION TO POST-PHOTOGRAPHY AND THE OVERPRODUCTION OF IMAGES.
IS IT POSSIBLE TO CREATE A DIFFERENT KIND OF PHOTOGRAPHY WITHIN AN INDUSTRY BUILT AROUND SPEED, PRECISION AND OBSOLESCENCE? POLAROID, PINHOLE PHOTOGRAPHY AND LOMOGRAPHY OFFERED DIFFERENT ANSWERS, SOMETIMES CRITICAL AND AT OTHER TIMES DEEPLY CONNECTED TO THE MARKET. THE EMERGENCE OF POLAROID AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGE INTO AN IMMEDIATE AND UNIQUE OBJECT. THE POSSIBILITY OF MANIPULATING, TRANSFERRING, INTERVENING IN AND TRANSFORMING INSTANT PHOTOGRAPHY. THE PINHOLE CAMERA AS AN ACCESSIBLE, HANDMADE PRACTICE, FAR REMOVED FROM OPTICAL PERFECTION. SLOW TIME, LONG EXPOSURES, HANDMADE CONSTRUCTION AND BODILY PARTICIPATION. THE PINHOLE REVOLUTION OF THE 1980S AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH EDUCATION AND DIY CULTURE. LOMOGRAPHY, ITS RULES, COMMUNITY AND CELEBRATION OF ERROR, SPONTANEITY AND LOW FIDELITY. THE CONTRADICTION BETWEEN TECHNOLOGICAL RESISTANCE, CONSUMPTION, BRANDING AND NOSTALGIA. THE ANALOGUE REVIVAL IN THE FACE OF THE EXPANSION OF DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY. MATERIALITY, OBSOLESCENCE AND THE CREATIVE RECOVERY OF TECHNOLOGIES CONSIDERED OBSOLETE.
CONTEMPORARY ART, EXPERIMENTAL METAPHOTOGRAPHY, EXPANDED PHOTOGRAPHY AND POSTPHOTOGRAPHY (1962-2017)
PHOTOGRAPHY IS NO LONGER JUST A FRAMED IMAGE. IT BECOMES AN OBJECT, INSTALLATION, ARCHIVE, ACTION, PROJECTION, DEVICE AND NETWORK. THIS CLASS EXPLORES HOW CONTEMPORARY PRACTICES HAVE EXPANDED BOTH THE MATERIALS AND THE QUESTIONS OF THE MEDIUM. THE ENTRY OF PHOTOGRAPHY INTO CONTEMPORARY ART THROUGH POP ART AND CONCEPTUALISM. THE TRANSITION FROM ART PHOTOGRAPHY TO ART MADE WITH PHOTOGRAPHS. METAPHOTOGRAPHY AND SELF-AWARENESS OF THE MEDIUM ITSELF. WORKS THAT INVESTIGATE THE CAMERA, THE FRAME, TIME, THE NEGATIVE, THE PRINT AND REPRODUCTION. EXPANDED PHOTOGRAPHY AS AN INTERSECTION WITH INSTALLATION, SCULPTURE, CINEMA, VIDEO AND PERFORMANCE. THE EXHIBITION SPACE AS PART OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF MEANING. POST-PHOTOGRAPHY AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE IMAGE THROUGH THE INTERNET, MOBILE DEVICES AND NETWORKS. IMAGE OVERPRODUCTION, APPROPRIATION, CIRCULATION, ARCHIVING AND THE LOSS OF CONTROL OVER IMAGES. THE CONSOLIDATION OF A SPECIFIC BIBLIOGRAPHY ON EXPERIMENTAL PHOTOGRAPHY.
A CLASS DESIGNED TO ORGANIZE THE VAST DIVERSITY OF PROCESSES THAT ARE PART OF EXPERIMENTAL PHOTOGRAPHY. TECHNIQUES ARE TOOLS, BUT THEY ARE NOT EXPERIMENTAL IN THEMSELVES. EXPERIMENTATION EMERGES IN THE WAY THEY ARE USED, COMBINED AND PUT AT THE SERVICE OF A QUESTION. WHAT DO WE MEAN BY TECHNIQUE, PROCESS, METHOD AND AN EXPERIMENTAL ATTITUDE? A MAP OF 144 TECHNIQUES RELATED TO CAMERAS, OPTICS, FILM, LIGHT, CHEMISTRY, PROCESSING, PRINTING AND INTERVENTION. CAMERALESS PROCESSES, HISTORICAL PROCEDURES, ANALOGUE, DIGITAL AND HYBRID TECHNIQUES. INTERVENTIONS ON NEGATIVES, EMULSIONS, SUPPORTS, PRINTS AND DEVICES. ERROR, CHANCE AND REPETITION AS VARIABLES THAT CAN BE STUDIED AND USED INTENTIONALLY. HOW TO COMBINE TECHNIQUES WITHOUT TURNING THE PROJECT INTO A SIMPLE DEMONSTRATION OF EFFECTS. THE THREE CHALLENGES OF EXPERIMENTATION: MIXING TECHNIQUES, FINDING THE MESSAGE AND WORKING COLLECTIVELY. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TECHNIQUE, CONCEPT, MATERIALITY AND CONTEXT. DO EXPERIMENTAL EXHIBITIONS AND PHOTOBOOKS EXIST? FROM TECHNICAL LEARNING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF A PERSONAL PRACTICE.
EXPERIMENTAL PHOTOGRAPHY DOES NOT DEVELOP IN ISOLATION. IT INTERSECTS WITH PHILOSOPHY, FEMINISMS, ECOLOGY, POSTCOLONIAL THOUGHT, CINEMA, POETRY AND CONSERVATION. THIS CLASS BRINGS TOGETHER DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES TO UNDERSTAND HOW THESE ENCOUNTERS TRANSFORM BOTH IMAGES AND THE CONDITIONS IN WHICH THEY ARE PRODUCED. PHILOSOPHY OF PHOTOGRAPHY: AESTHETIC VALUE, KNOWLEDGE, INTENTION, AUTOMATISM AND RELATIONSHIP WITH THE WORLD. FEMINISMS AND GENDER STUDIES: RECOVERING FORGOTTEN GENEALOGIES AND CRITIQUING THE DOMINANT GAZE. THE BODY, IDENTITY, CARE AND SITUATED EXPERIENCE AS SPACES FOR PHOTOGRAPHIC PRODUCTION. ECOLOGY AND ANALYSIS OF THE MATERIAL IMPACT OF FILM, GELATIN, CHEMICALS AND SUPPORTS. SUSTAINABLE PROCESSES, ORGANIC MATERIALS AND NEW RELATIONSHIPS WITH LIVING SYSTEMS. POSTCOLONIAL THOUGHT AND QUESTIONING OF INHERITED NARRATIVES, ARCHIVES AND TECHNOLOGIES. EXPERIMENTAL CINEMA, EDITING, DURATION, MOVEMENT AND RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN IMAGE AND SOUND. VISUAL POETRY, SEQUENCE, TEXT, RHYTHM AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF UNCONVENTIONAL NARRATIVES. CONSERVATION OF UNSTABLE, EPHEMERAL OR ORGANIC WORKS, OR WORKS PRODUCED THROUGH NON-STANDARDIZED PROCESSES. EXPERIMENTATION AS A TRANSVERSAL, COLLECTIVE AND POLITICALLY SITUATED PRACTICE.
STUDENT WORK PRESENTATIONS, VIEWING OF REFERENCE MATERIALS, AND INTERACTIVE ACTIVITIES WITH QUESTIONS
YOUR TEACHER
PABLO GIORI
FOUNDER AND CO-DIRECTOR OF THE EXPERIMENTAL PHOTO FESTIVAL ASSOCIATION: EXPERIMENTAL PHOTO FESTIVAL, AGORA, SCHOOL OF EXPERIMENTATION, AND IPFA (INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVALS).
BACHELOR OF ARTS (CLASSICAL PHILOLOGY) FROM THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF TUCUMÁN (ARGENTINA); MASTER'S DEGREE IN COMMUNICATION AND CULTURAL STUDIES FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF GIRONA (SPAIN) AND IN STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF TARRAGONA (SPAIN), BOTH WITH SCHOLARSHIPS. PHD IN CONTEMPORARY HISTORY FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF GIRONA WITH A COMPARATIVE STUDY BETWEEN SPAIN AND CANADA. SPEAKS FOUR LANGUAGES.

IN ADDITION TO HIS WORK AT ÁGORA, HE TEACHES CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES IN PHOTOGRAPHY IN THE MASTER'S PROGRAM IN PHOTOGRAPHY AT THE BERLIN UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES (SRH), GERMANY. HE SPECIALIZES IN THE MANAGEMENT, CONSERVATION, DIGITIZATION, AND DISSEMINATION OF PHOTOGRAPHIC HERITAGE AND WORKED FOR THREE YEARS IN THE IMAGES DEPARTMENT OF THE NATIONAL ARCHIVE OF CATALONIA. HE HAS CURATED 21 EXHIBITIONS OF VARIOUS PROJECTS IN SEVERAL COUNTRIES IN EUROPE AND LATIN AMERICA.
HE HAS PUBLISHED THREE BOOKS, INCLUDING THE PHOTOBOOK UNEXPECTED INHABITANTS. 12 KEY IDEAS FOR DOING DOUBLE EXPOSURES AND FILM EXCHANGE (2018), THE PHOTOGRAPHIC BIOGRAPHY PERE CATALÁ I PIC. PHOTOGRAPHY, ADVERTISING, AVANT-GARDE AND LITERATURE (1889-1971) AND ALL THE CATALOGS OF THE EXPERIMENTAL PHOTO FESTIVAL: EXP.20, EXP.21 AND EXP.22.

MORE DETAILS
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.
GOALS
- UNDERSTAND THE MAIN GENEALOGIES OF EXPERIMENTAL PHOTOGRAPHY.
- RELATE TECHNIQUES AND MOVEMENTS TO THEIR HISTORICAL CONTEXTS.
- TO KNOW THE DEBATES THAT HAVE QUESTIONED PHOTOGRAPHIC OBJECTIVITY.
- ANALYZE THE MAIN CONTRIBUTIONS OF PHOTOGRAPHIC THOUGHT.
- TO PLACE ONE'S OWN PRACTICE WITHIN CONTEMPORARY EXPERIMENTATION.
12 HOURS IN DURATION
APPROXIMATE WEEKLY TIME COMMITMENT:
3-5 HOURS, EACH STUDENT MANAGES THEIR OWN TIME.
MODE
PRE-RECORDED ONLINE WITH 3 LIVE MEETINGS.
LANGUAGE
SPANISH AND ENGLISH
WHAT'S INCLUDED
UNLIMITED LIFETIME ACCESS TO ALL CONTENT
OF THE LIVE AND PRE-RECORDED CLASSES, WORKSHOPS, CONFERENCES AND ADDITIONAL DOWNLOADABLE MATERIALS.
BEING A MEMBER OF THE AGORA COMMUNITY
PARTICIPATE FOR FREE IN OUR MONTHLY ONLINE MEETINGS (DECEMBER 3, JANUARY 21, FEBRUARY 4, FEBRUARY 25, MARCH 18, APRIL 8, APRIL 29 AND MAY 20) AND SHOWCASE YOUR WORK ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA.
ACCESS THE EXCLUSIVE AGORA COMMUNITY GROUP ON WHATSAPP
WITH EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNTS, DIRECT ACCESS TO TEACHERS AND THE AGORA TEAM, MONTHLY INFORMATION, AND SPECIAL CONTENT.
MATERIALS NEEDED
EACH LESSON EXPLAINS THE NECESSARY MATERIALS. WE RECOMMEND WATCHING THE LESSON FIRST AND THEN DECIDING WHICH MATERIALS YOU WANT TO BUY. THIS LINK SHOWS WHERE TO BUY THE MATERIALS IN MANY CITIES AROUND THE WORLD.
HOW ARE THESE COURSES MANAGED?
THE ECONOMIC AND ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGEMENT OF THE AGORA IS HANDLED BY THE NON-PROFIT ASSOCIATION EXPERIMENTAL PHOTO FESTIVAL. ALL COURSES INCLUDE 21% VAT IN THE PRICE. DURING THE PAYMENT PROCESS, A PASSPORT NUMBER, NIE, NIF, OR CIF WILL BE REQUESTED SOLELY FOR ACCOUNTING AND TAX PURPOSES. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONSULT OUR FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY PAGE.