Magnum Workshop Fremantle

Monday, 19th March – Friday, 23rd March, 2012

The Magnum Workshop Fremantle is a five day practice focused photography workshop led by three experienced Magnum photographers; Antoine D’Agata, Trent Parke and Donovan Wylie. Each photographer will guide intimate groups of 12 participants who will have the opportunity to shoot, polish and publish their work under the guidance of these experienced practitioners.  

The workshop will be held in the renovated North Wing of the Fremantle Arts Centre,1 Finnerty Street, Fremantle.

The Workshop

Aimed at photographers with a good understanding of photographic practice, each Magnum photographer will lead their group through a daily programme of shooting, reviews, group critiques, mentoring, editing sessions and the opportunity to learn amongst peers.  Participants will spend the five days alongside their selected photographer developing visual language, photographic identity, practical, technical and conceptual skills and the expertise required to compete in a changing marketplace. 

Participants will be asked to approach a photographic story of Fremantle or the surrounding area, in some cases relating to previous photographic work or interests and in others providing an opportunity to work under a new discipline. Workshops will be held in English and each class will be assigned an assistant who will facilitate the workshop and guide participants with technical or logistical questions and orientate participants with the local area.  

The workshop will culminate in a public projection of participants’ work at the Moores Building on Saturday,24th of March and the production of group books, generously provided by creative publishing platform and Magnum’s educational partners, Blurb books.

Participants will be provided with free FotoFreo festival passes as part of the workshop and be actively encouraged to participate in the diverse schedule of the festival events. Forming part of this extensive programming, each Magnum photographer will introduce their work and career history through audiovisual presentations at the Fremantle Arts Centre.
 

The Photographers

Antoine D'Agata (French)

Born in Marseilles, Antoine d'Agata left France in 1983 and remained overseas for the next 10 years. Finding himself in New York in 1990, he pursued an interest in photography by taking courses at the International Center of Photography, where his teachers included Larry Clark and Nan Goldin. 

During his time in New York, in 1991-92, D'Agata worked as an intern in the editorial department of Magnum, but despite his experience and training in the US, after his return to France in 1993 he took a four-year break from photography. His first books of photographs, De Mala Muerte and Mala Noche, were published in 1998 and the following year Galerie Vu began distributing his work. In 2001 he published Hometown and won the Niépce Prize for young photographers. He continued to publish regularly: Vortex and Insomnia appeared in 2003, accompanying his exhibition 1001 Nuits, which opened in Paris in September; Stigma was published in 2004 and Manifeste in 2005. 

In 2004 D'Agata joined Magnum Photos and in the same year, shot his first short film, Le Ventre du Monde (The World's Belly); this experiment led to his long feature film Aka Ana, shot in 2006 in Tokyo. Antoine had a very successful exhibition at FotoFreo 2006.

Since 2005 Antoine d'Agata has had no settled place of residence but has worked around the world.

Trent Parke (Australian)

Trent Parke was born in 1971 and raised in Newcastle, New South Wales. Using his mother's Pentax Spotmatic and the family laundry as a darkroom, he began taking pictures when he was around 12 years old. Today, Parke, the only Australian photographer to be represented by Magnum, works primarily as a street photographer. 

In 2003, with wife and fellow photographer Narelle Autio, Parke drove almost 90,000 km (56,000 miles) around Australia. Minutes to Midnight, the collection of photographs from this journey, offers a sometimes disturbing portrait of twenty-first century Australia, from the desiccated outback to the chaotic, melancholic vitality of life in remote Aboriginal towns. For this project Parke was awarded the W. Eugene Smith Grant in Humanistic Photography.

Parke won World Press Photo Awards in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2005, and in 2006 was granted the ABN AMRO Emerging Artist Award. He was selected to be part of the World Press Photo Masterclass in 1999. Parke has published two books, Dream/Life in 1999 and The Seventh Wave with Narelle Autio in 2000. His work has been exhibited widely. In 2006 the National Gallery of Australia acquired Parke's entire Minutes to Midnight exhibition. Trent has exhibited in two FotoFreo festivals, in 2004 and 2006.

Donovan Wylie (Northern Ireland)

Born in Belfast in 1971, Donovan Wylie discovered photography at an early age. He left school at 16, and embarked on a three-month journey around Ireland that resulted in the production of his first book, 32 Counties (Secker and Warburg 1989), published while he was still a teenager. 

In 1992 Wylie was invited to become a nominee of Magnum Photos and in 1998 he became a full member. Much of his work, often described as 'Archaeo-logies', has stemmed primarily to date from the political and social landscape of Northern Ireland. His book The Maze was published to international acclaim in 2004, as was British Watchtowers in 2007. In 2001 he won a BAFTA for his film The Train, and he has had solo exhibitions at the Photographers' Gallery, London, PhotoEspana, Madrid, and the National Museum of Film, Photography and Television, Bradford, England. He has participated in numerous group shows held at, among other venues, the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin, the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, and the Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris.

In 2010 Wylie was nominated for the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2010 for his exhibition MAZE 2007/8. During this time, he also received a commission from National Media Museum, Bradford College and the University of Bradford to document the modern architecture of the conflict in Afghanistan. The resulting work was displayed at the National Media Museum in 2011 and a book published by Steidl.

Workshop Requirements

Workshop participants should be able to show a good level of photographic aptitude. Participants will be expected to arrive comfortable with their equipment and ready to photograph.  Each workshop is limited to just 12 participants and photographers will be subject to online applications. 

We recommend participants arrive with at least one realistic project idea they wish to develop during the workshop and that preliminary research be conducted before the workshop begins. This should include contact liaison, access information and even early shooting. On the first day participants will have the opportunity to present their existing work and discuss project ideas. The workshop structure is self directed and participants will be responsible for their own coordination and time management. Participants are encouraged to be realistic about what is achievable in five days.  

Due to the fast pace of the workshop, Magnum highly recommends that participants produce and edit their work digitally, using their own laptops. Individuals wishing to use film may do so, but at their own cost and during the time imposed. Lab services will be recommended.

Tuition

The cost of tuition is £800, plus VAT (does not include travel, accommodations or ‘on the ground’ expenses).
Upon submitting your online application you will be transferred to Google Checkout where you must submit a £65 application fee.  This will be applied to your tuition fee invoice if you are accepted into the workshop. The fee will be fully refunded, if you are NOT accepted into the workshop.  Applications without a fee will not be processed.
Please note:  Magnum Photos reserves the right to cancel groups with less than eight participants.  Participants will be given either a full refund or offered a place with an alternative photographer.  In the event of a cancellation, students will be given at least two weeks advance notice.  Magnum Photos reserves the right to change or alter the programme advertised.

Scholarships

For Western Australia photographers there are three places in the workshops being offered by way of a scholarship supported by the Western Australian Department of Culture and the Arts. Sunday, 5 February, 2012 at 5:00 p.m. WST. To apply for one of these scholarships, click here.

Travel & Accommodation

Participants are expected to make their own arrangements regarding travel and accommodation; a list of suitable accommodation options will be provided to successful candidates. International visitors can travel to Perth Airport from most major terminals.

Please ensure you have the necessary travel documents and relevant visas in order to attend the event.  Magnum Photos and FotoFreo can provide letters of support where necessary.

Applications

Click here to apply until Monday, 6th February, 2012 (18:00 GMT).

Successful applicants will be informed via email by Monday, 13th February 2012.  Full payment should be received by Friday 2nd March, 2012 to fully confirm your place. 

For queries, please contact Fiona Rogers:  fionar@magnumphotos.co.uk

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