Human Nature With Anna Fox And Anne McNeill

About

This CAMP session concerns telling tales about the land, and our relationship to it. It's about using photography and text to reveal stories about the local environment and community, and the relationship that we have to the landscape and the ecosystems within it; reflecting back onto ourselves, and considering the possibility of revealing something about our human nature and what that means in today's world.

During the workshop we will research, explore and photograph the relationships between humans and nature in the stunning landscape of the Haute Couserans mountains. We will meet local people, explore their relationships to the land, examine the effects of human life on the landscape and consider how these effects might appear as traces or indications of human experience. We will find local stories about the landscape and devise ways to weave these into our picture making. We will set stories in stone, create modern myths about this place, and the humans who exist within it, or respond to it.

We will explore new and innovative ways of combining photography with other mediums and approaches to tell stories, and at the end of the workshop we will produce a book that includes the work we've created. This will be a book of modern myths, an assemblage of folk tales about the essence of human nature in Aulus les Bains today.

Outside of the project we'll hold portfolio reviews, informal discussions, on-to-one coaching sessions, film screenings and other activities. This is a unique opportunity to gain skills, refine your work, make contacts and move your photographic practice forward.

Anna Fox has been working in photography and video for almost thirty years. Influenced by the British documentary tradition and US 'New Colourists', Anna's work first emerged alongside contemporaries such as Martin Parr and Paul Graham in the late 80's. "Work Stations", published by and exhibited first at Camerawork in 1988, critically observed London office culture in the mid Thatcher years. Later work documenting weekend wargames (titled Friendly Fire) was shown in the exhibition Warworks at the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Netherlands Foto Institute and the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography. With solo shows at The Photographer's Gallery (London), The Museum of Contemporary Photography (Chicago) and others, and work included in international group shows such as Through the Looking Glass, Centre of the Creative Universe: Liverpool and the Avant-garde and How We Are: Photographing Britain, Anna is a key figure in modern photography.

Anne McNeill is one of the most influential figures working in photography in the UK. As Director and Curator of Impressions Gallery, one of the UK’s leading venues for contemporary photography, Anne has curated some of the most exciting exhibitions of photography in Europe over the last two decades, including shows by Paul Reas, Murray Ballard, Joy Gregory, Trish Morrissey and, of course, Anna Fox. Prior to joining Impressions in 2000, Anne was the Artistic Director of Photo 98, the UK Year of Photography and in 1995 founding Director of Photoworks, the national commissioning agency for photography, based in Brighton. Anne is a member of the "Academy", a group of photography experts who nominate candidates for the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize, and since 2011 is a nominator for Prix Pictet, the global award in photography and sustainability. Since 2016, Anne is also a nominator for the Hasselblad Foundation International Award.

About CAMP:

CAMP is located in Aulus les Bains, the last village before the France/Spain Pyrenean frontier chain. The location is spectacular - we are nestled at 750m above sea level, surrounded by snowcapped peaks over 3000m high, ancient forests and cascading waterfalls. There are eagles, lammergeiers, vultures, ibex and even bears. Walk out of the residency, and within ten minutes you are completely alone in one of the most beautiful mountain landscapes in Europe.

Aulus les Bains is also a spa village - there are hot water springs, and a thermal spa in the village to take advantage of the healing and relaxing properties of the water.

Residency History:

CAMP is operated by the team behind Fuse Art Space. Fuse Art Space is an art gallery, performance space and cultural hub based in the city centre of Bradford, UK. Launched in 2013, Fuse Art Space quickly gained a reputation as one of the most dynamic avant garde arts spaces in the north of England. Over the last four years we have hosted acclaimed exhibitions of Syrian protest art, feminist cross-media installations (including work by Poppy Jackson, Sue Williams, Rupi Kaur, Faith Holland and others), climate change activist installations as part of the ArtCOP project, the first ever Portrait Salon printed show, Lydia Goldblatt’s last solo exhibition before she won the Tokyo International Photography Grand Prix, sonic installations featuring work by Jez Riley French, Mike Harding, BJ Nilsen, Tara Jane Oneil and MV Carbon, and situationist interventions reflecting audience focus back out into the city.

As a performance venue, we have hosted performances, frequently UK exclusive, by Chris Watson, Philip Jeck, Kyoka, Karen Gwyer, Damian Dubrovnik, Helm, Robert Millis, John Chantler, Wanda Group, Basic House, Eric Chenaux, Illum Sphere, Space Dimension Controller, Awesome Tapes From Africa, Rafael Toral, Richard Dawson, Alash, Container, Cooly G, Vibracathedral Orchestra, Islam Chipsy, AGF, Ela Orleans, Ian William Craig, Carla Bozulich, Rene Hell, Elysia Crampton, Novi_Sad, Jason Lescalleet, King Ayisoba, Led Bib, Matana Roberts and dozens of other game-changing artists.

The focus of CAMP is to use what we have – our artistic network, our facilities, our various record labels and publishing operations, our relationships with acclaimed artists and our artist support platforms – to provide people with a catalytic, game-changing masterclass experience, in inspiring surroundings.

Benefits to Artists:

Artists benefit from an intense, catalytic learning experience studying their chosen discipline with one of the most celebrated artists in their field. They live, eat, study and create with their session leader(s) for a week, gaining new skills and insights, building their network, learning new techniques and approaches. After the session, all participants benefit from our post-course support. We run an art gallery and performance venue, a publishing house, three record labels and are part of an extensive European touring network. We provide ongoing support to all participants, offering exhibition, release, touring and publication opportunities, as well as ongoing training and networking. We're extremely keen that our sessions form a career-changing point in an artist's professional life.

Additionally, attendees can take part in optional activities to make the most of their stay in this incredible place - mountain expeditions, wildlife walks and visits to some of the most beautiful spots in the area.