Since 2014, as part of the Serbia Raw project, the collective engaged in a series of workshops aiming at applying the principles of photo editing to the given body of work, made by participating photographers, with the goal to create an exhibition or a publication. However, the primary idea was to explore and discuss the way that the photographs interact.
The workshops were open for anyone who photographed the city, in the broadest sense possible, and there were no requirements or limitations regarding the competence or photographic experience. The mix of participants gathered by this method has proven itself to be enriching to the conversation about the photographs and the perception people have of them. The working material was 15-20 photos by every participant, taken in the city, that in some way reflected their view on it. The photos didn’t have to be of buildings or the streets, which seem to be conventional and frequent depictions of an urban surrounding, since life in the city goes beyond that.
The process started by exploring the participants’ photos and by searching for group narrative(s) on the city, as well as by exploring relations that an author builds with the photograph taken, compared to someone just viewing it. During the workshop participants learned about the visual and aesthetic principles of reading photography beyond a singular frame and discussed ways to construct visual narratives and create edits.
Starting from all the participants’ photos as a whole, the aim was to manufacture a selection of works through observing, analyzing and debating; through finding and creating connections along with meanings that occur. Finally, opting for a selection and developing a visual portrayal that reflects a commonly negotiated view of the city.
The workshops were held in Valjevo, Bor, Subotica, Knjaževao, Pančevo, Novi Sad, Novi Pazar, Niš, Zrenjanin, Požega, Kraljevo, Kragujevac and Vranje.
At the end of this series of workshops the collective published the photo book Serbia Raw.
More about the Serbia Raw project.
More about the Serbia Raw book.
