WEEK 2: Of People and Buildings

“The photographer is an armed version of the solitary walker reconnoitring, stalking, cruising the urban inferno, the voyeuristic stroller who discovers the city as a landscape of voluptuous extremes. Adept of the joys of watching, connoisseur of empathy, the flâneur finds the world ‘picturesque.” (Susan Sontag)

In the second week, we will shift our focus to photography and its relationship to urban identity. We will discover how to find unique perspectives in the urban landscape, using photography to capture the essence of a place, and examining the relationship between natural and man-made elements in the urban landscape. Buildings provide shelter, but are also works of art and long-lasting cultural symbols. Architecture photography has a long history: it may have first taken off as a way to document buildings, but along the way, it has evolved into its own diverse art form. Weather conditions and the time of the day can drastically influence your photo opportunities, and finding a unique perspective is a given obstacle.

You will have the opportunity to use the architecture of your city as a backdrop for your photography or even as the protagonist of your interest. Your settings can range from a room or a house to a street or an architectural style, allowing you to explore the city from different perspectives. Your approach can be personal, conceptual, performative, political, or even fictional.

Artists: Eugène Atget, Brassaï, André Kertész, Henry Fox Talbot, Walker Evans, Julius Shulman, Berenice Abbott, Candida Höfer, Carrie Mae Weems, Zoe Leonard, Heinz Emigholz, Bernd und Hilla Becher, Iwan Baan, Andreas Gursky, Annette Kelm, Heidi Specker, Thomas Demand a.o.