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Call for collaboration – aleksandra zawada – China Now Call for collaboration – aleksandra zawada – China Now
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Call for Collaboration - Aleksandra Zawada

Areas of interest: Inclusion
Location: Edinburgh
Date: From 30 November 2020 to 18 December 2020
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About Aleksandra Zawada

I am Edinburgh based artist, working in in photography and mixed media.

My art interests are:

  • Artistic labour and production
  • Original versus copy
  • Production/ manufacturing/ consumption in the global context
  • Limits of photography in the truthful representation
  • Narrative construction and deconstruction in photography
  • Everyday object and rituals as tools of an artistic expression
  • Human and Environment
  • Identity and identity representation Areas of my expertise are: visual storytelling in photographic context, photobook, photobook editing

Collaboration Ideas with China

I have visited China in 2011 as a recipient of RSA Wilhelmina Barns-Graham Travel Award. The result of that travel was work Green (Paper) Book (2014) – series of 13 photographs also presented in form of photo book. The book uses strip of land surrounding Beijing high way as an excuse to observe changes in Chinese society.

Green (Paper) Book was exhibited in 2014 as part of Constructions of Landscape 3 at the Stills Gallery, Edinburgh (2014); BYOPAPER! Les Rencontres de la Photographie Arles 2017 and as part of photo book fair at the Impressions Gallery, Bradford, (2016). It has never been shown in China. The collaboration could give me feedback on this work and to see it from Chinese perspective. It might create opportunities to exhibit/print the work in China. Exhibiting in China would close the journey of the series.

Second reason is that I would like to continue exploring China with photographic means. The opportunity presents me with chance to develop new body of work dealing with China in global context. Due to Collaboration with Chinese partner, I will gain perspective that I do not have due to not being Chinese or living in China. The form of online collaboration is a challenge not only in terms how to photograph in times of Covid (and isolation) but what is relevant in China, in daily living now. I hope the opportunity might allow me to revisit China in the future and work on continuation of the series by looking in ongoing changes in China. Collaboration ideas are:

  • investigate a journey of objects manufactured in China (fast fashion) to their uses/end journey in United Kingdom. This could be dialogue showing photographs side (objects in UK/ objects in China) by side or photographs and text (photo/ data+text).
  • photo essay made with images that are sourced online only, then edited. This could be as a collaboration in form of image exchange with Chinese partner and developing project from there collaboratively. Or by helping to edit work by Chinese partner (artist/photographer/photo archives) as my part of collaboration. In this option I will not make my own work.
  • collaboration on project related to identity, Chinese diaspora. (I have touched it a bit in project in Italy: Like a Prince) I am interested in daily life/daily circumstances of people. In all the options this interest will be present in some form.

I would like to work with curator, art institution, journalist, archives, publisher or photographer/s, artist, art maker whose work is interested in similar themes.

From Curator, institution, publisher, journalist:

  • Feedback on the work done in China and researching possibilities to introduce the body on work to audience in China; including creating text /photo essay to the series, help with researching ideas of publication or exhibition with Chinese text etc
  • Connecting with an artist working / interested in similar themes, feedback on work in progress, help in final edit of new body of work, explore possibilities to return to back to China to photograph
  • Seeing work and work in progress from Chinese perspective
  • I am interested to work with images from archive, collections, as well as from photographers/ photo collectives, found images
  • I am interested to look at those from Westerns/ Easter European perspective
  • I would like to learn from my partner/sources/data in China

From artist/ photographer/ journalist:

  • Developing new body of work based on dialogue; exchange of perspective and ideas
  • I would like to keep unique voices separate so the project keeps two points of view
  • I can offer my ideas on photo edit, image sequencing and photo book mock -up
  • I am interested to do edit as my part of collaboration
  • I would like to learn from my partner in China and try to hear his/her voice

Useful Links

https://www.aleksandrazawada.com/aleksandrazawada-about

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