© Ron Haviv
HOST is a project by ABCM Progetti in collaboration with the City Hall of Reggio Emilia, which have invited the photographers of VII Photo Agency to participate in this year's festival FOTOGRAFIA EUROPEA - Reggio Emilia, Italy. This new section of the festival will include events, meetings, screenings and workshops in line with the mission of VII and it's photographers, through which participants will learn from some of today's leading photojournalists.
© Lindsey Addario
VII SHOOT – workshop May, 3 - 4 - in Reggio Emilia Eight “master” photographers from the VII agency and sixteen students (two for each master) will attend a 5-hour workshop divided into two activities: photographic production and editing. The output/stories will aim to present a city and its changes. The photographs taken by students of VII SHOOT will be shown on Saturday 4th May at 10 pm during the VII Night and will be part of a special edition of VII Magazine (a Web magazine). Price: € 150,00
VII LUNCH - Lunch d’auteur May, 4 at 12.30 pm - 3.30 pm - Caffè Arti e Mestieri Ten photographers from the VII Agency will lunch with seven guests, for an informal chat on a specific theme suggested by the photographer. The lunch will take place at Caffè Arti e Mestieri and will be prepared by chef Gianni D’Amato. Lunch will be followed by portfolio reviews. Price: € 65,00
VII UNCOMMISSIONED – multimedia May, 4 at 3 pm – Cinema AlCorso A continual screen of the 10 best multimedia products by VII photographers, followed by a talk with their creators. Free entry
VII NIGHT - conferences and party May 4 at 10 pm - Chiostri di San Pietro A presentation of the agency with a video screening documenting its history. Screenings, debates and a long evening full of talks, music and an exchange of ideas, with important guests from the field of photography. Screenings of work produced during the VII SHOOT. Free entry
© Ed Kashi
VII
Created three days before 11th September 2001, VII is a photographic agency founded by seven leading contemporary photojournalists. Today the agency represents 23 photographers and has offices in New York and Paris. “We commonly describe the photojournalist as the eyes of the world, witnesses to events that we would otherwise not see. It is true in some way, but it is a simplistic definition that implies passive observation and neglects the important, active investigative function that marks great photojournalism. If we want a simple description of the world, the human race already has 4 thousand million smartphones and uploads over 300 thousand million images a day onto Facebook. This could easily satisfy our curiosity. We are obviously longing for something else. We want to do more than just see the world, we want to understand it. The most authentic spirit of investigative photojournalism infuses the work of VII, allowing us an awareness of everything it deals with. The investigative process begins by recognising the existence of a situation, followed by a thorough investigation to focus on its various aspects, and culminates in a magical transformation of the awareness gained into images. The various visual strategies used to painstakingly translate this information into photographs, are sometimes either carefully reworked, guided by an instinctive reaction or simply dictated by humour. The images themselves are as much a part of the story as their subjects …” Stephen Mayes, President of VII (from Private – International Review of Photographs #57)
aBcM Progetti
aBcM is an agency that develops and produces special projects with photography d’auteur, by activating a network of professionals with experience in different areas of the arts and communication. It experiments with interaction models and participation and social impact projects , aimed at producing reciprocal relationships between photography, art, the local area, public and private bodies and business. It is responsible for photographic projects for publishing, exhibitions and multimedia for public and private institutions. It promotes and creates training and research in the field of photography and related languages, both at home and abroad. It works in partnership with leading authors, top international photographic agencies and the best experts in the sector (including curators, art directors and editors). aBcM is a flexible structure, founded by Camilla Invernizzi and Maddalena Bregani that activates and coordinates a network of specialised professionals to guarantee maximum focus on the aims of every project.
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