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NOORDERLICHT WELCOMES SUBMISSIONS FOR PHOTO FESTIVAL 2009

Photographers and curators from all over the world are welcome to send in their work and proposals to participate in the Noorderlicht International Photofestival 2009.
Deadline: April 3rd, 2009
 
       

SUBMITTING - CONDITIONS AND DIRECTIVES

WHO

Noorderlicht welcomes proposals by professional photographers and photography curators from all over the world. Noorderlicht is in principle a platform for documentary photography, but within this genre we like to push back the frontiers

WHAT

Before you submit your work please consider carefully whether your work is suitable for Noorderlicht. This website will give you a good idea of our photographic context.

We are looking for photoseries. We rarely show single images. We especially welcome recent projects, even projects that are still in progress. Older and historical series are not excluded, but in that case we would prefer it if they have not been shown in the Netherlands before.

The work should be accompanied by a short and clear description of the project plus a relevant c.v. and complete contact details. Also indicate clearly that you are submitting work for the Noorderlicht festival 2009.

Sending in a specific series is far better than just giving us a website address where the series is to be found.

HOW

We only accept material submitted through DVD, CD-ROM, email (large files are not a problem), prints, or publications. When sending prints or publications, please include scans whenever possible.

Digital files should be provided at high quality and at a resolution of at least 1000x1500 pixels. Images through email preferably in jpeg format.

Always save files in RGB or grayscale mode, not as CMYK. If color management is used, please include the color profiles in the image files.

Digital submissions should be sent as separate image files, no .pdf or Word files. Powerpoint, Director, MPEG files (and such) or video DVD’s, may only be used when concerning a multimedia presentation that cannot be presented otherwise. Even then send some separate images in addition.

When sending prints: please make sure that the printing quality is good and that the size is at least 20x25 cm (8x10 inch).

Submissions will not be returned. We make an exception for single copies such as dummies or special prints. If you want those returned to you, clearly indicate so and give us your return address.

WHEN

The deadline for submitting work for the Noorderlicht Photofestival 2009 is April 3rd. If it comes in after that we cannot guarantee that your work will be considered for the festival.

Please do not expect a quick reply. We receive hundreds of submissions and they take some time to process. Please rest assured that everything we receive will be carefully looked at and that everyone will receive an answer.

WHERE

All submissions can be sent to Wim Melis (curator) via email or post:

wim@noorderlicht.com

Noorderlicht
attn. Wim Melis
Akerkhof 12
9711 JB Groningen
The Netherlands

For more information please contact Irene Kromhout: +31 (0)50 3182227 / irene@noorderlicht.com
 
       

THEME NOORDERLICHT PHOTOFESTIVAL 2009

The Dutch word STRIJD has many uses and can be translated as:

MATCH, COMPETITION, CONTEST, DISPUTE, STRIFE, CONTROVERSY, CONFLICT, STRUGGLE, WRESTLE, FIGHT, BATTLE, COMBAT, WAR.

These are all possible approaches to the theme:

The Inner Self
The individual struggle to find one’s place and fulfill one’s dreams.
Balance and struggle between individual and society.

United We Stand
How people are willing to battle for what they believe is true and important.
What is the meaning of ideology in the 21rst century? Ideology has become a marketing tool: eco friendly and organic products; Shell trying to establish a ’green’ image; the electric car on the rise; charities that no longer handle the collecting-box but set out to recruit members.
What does democracy mean these days? How far go the obligations of those in power to bring democracy to every corner of the world and make everybody everywhere live and think within the same system?

Against the Odds
How people struggle to survive and make a life for themselves in times of war, repression, famine, poverty, illness and disaster.

Survival of the Fittest
The economy and the ever lasting competition to gain the consumer’s confidence.
New and upcoming economies such as China and India join issue with those of the West and both compete for raw materials.
Human rights and working conditions are often in conflict with the cheapest product; what are the moral implications of striving for profit?
The current downfall of the American model.

To Live is to Fight
Fighting is in our nature. It is of all times and cultures, and many parts of life have an aspect of fight. It is biologically determined that strength and power are thought attractive. Fighting is:
Movement: dance, sports.
Appearance: costumes and uniforms, the rituals of combat, the glorification of the warrior/soldier.
Entertainment: games, films, matches, competitions, contests.
Technology: weapons, machinery, strategies.
A trial of strength: in many cultures fighting is a ritual to progress to adulthood. In corporate life fighting translates into hierarchy and revolves around power. Behavioural codes, social roleplay, power suits, friends and family: in an environment of power, all becomes important and can be wielded as a weapon to get to the top.

Progress
The competition to be the first and the best. Struggle against enthropy, against nature.

War
The mechanisms, the tactics, the strategies. The combat of the board room table.
Intimidation and deception, torture and rape; many weapons are not made of steel. Shock and awe, devide and conquer. Can a war be fought fairly or is it an excuse for any cruel means?
The effect of war on the human psyche and the experience of the individual in a whirlpool of anonymous violence.

Past Glory
Many battles have been lost. What remains of once glorious goals and ideologies?