Explore different strategies used by photographers for making work that intersects across writing and visual art in this five-week course

Taking place over five sessions, this course explores the different strategies developed by photographers for making work at the intersection of writing and the visual arts. Looking at language as material that expands the photographic image, we will introduce a visual methodology by considering the work of photographic artists and the way language and the image come together in their work.

Each week participants will not only engage in discussion but will also undertake workshop-led elements following presentations and lectures with the opportunity to put ideas into practice. The course will conclude in an open crit format where outcomes can be shared to think further about language as part of the artistic process. All sessions will introduce a practical element that can be further developed into the beginning of a piece of work to be presented and discussed by session five.

Schedule

Session 1: photographs with embedded text
In this introductory session we will look at text-image works that are integrated into the same frame – either through overlaying or other montage strategies. As for instance in Hannah Höch’s Dada collages or Barbara Kruger subversions of adverts.

Session 2: text alongside photographs
This week we will be exploring descriptive or disruptive strategies of how an image is transformed through text alongside it – captions as well as narrations of facts and fictions that change the meaning of the photograph. We will be looking at Mary Kelly’s use of documents and Sophie Calle’s conceptual co-writing.

Session 3: the spoken photograph
The third session will experiment with photographs as time-based events aided by invisible yet audible language elements such as voice overs. For instance, Fiona Tan’s fictitious archive work and Yoko Ono’s imaginary image scores.

Session 4: photographs in the expanded field
In our penultimate week before the final "crit" session, we will speculate on how photography is expanded by text in the form of public demonstrations – performances for the camera as well as image-text installation. We will be reflecting on Jenny Holzer’s public installations and the Guerrilla Girls’ feminist protest banners.

Session 5: crit
In this final session, we will do an informal critique of the culmination of the exercises and works produced over the previous weeks. This will be led by the tutors and include peer-review and group discussion. 

Led by artists and educators Beverley Carruthers and Wiebke Leister.

Details on how to access the sessions will be confirmed upon registration. Please check your junk folders if you haven't received an email from TPG staff confirming your place. 

Biographies

Beverley Carruthers is an artist and teacher. She works on the BA Photography at London College of Communication for which she was Course leader for 20 years. She works collaboratively using performance, text, photography and film.

Wiebke Leister is an artist and researcher. She is course leader for MA Photography at London College of Communication, and exhibits and publishes her work internationally.

£200/£180 members & concessions.
 

Bursaries

We are offering two partial bursaries covering 50 per cent of course fees, which will be awarded on merit. Applicants who do not qualify for the other two full Develop bursary places (see below) and who wish to be considered for a partial bursary should submit a statement (max. 500 words) to projects@tpg.org.uk with the subject line "Writing Photographs - Bursary application", outlining how this course would contribute to their professional development. Deadline is Thursday 8 April 2021 at 12.00 BST. Successful candidates will be notified the week commencing Monday 12 April 2021.

We actively encourage applications from groups who are currently underrepresented in the cultural sector in the UK. This includes people who identify as D/deaf, disabled* and neurodivergent; those with caring responsibilities; candidates from Black, Asian and ethnically diverse backgrounds; and arts and culture professionals whose career development has been negatively impacted by Covid-19, prioritising independent artists, freelancers and those made redundant/at risk of redundancy since March 2020.

Full bursaries are available for under 25s. Please visit Develop in the coming weeks for more details.

*The Equality Act 2010 defines a disabled person as someone who has a physical or mental impairment, and the impairment has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. Sharing that you are disabled will not be used in any way in judging the quality of your application. 

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