CRITICAE 2023/24 Alumni Reflect on the Online Documentary Photography Masterclass

As we welcome applications for the 4th edition, participants from CRITICAE 2023/24 reflect on how the program allowed them to experiment and develop their projects, while defining their relationship with the medium.

PhMuseum's Online Masterclass on Documentary Photography aims to expand participants' research methods and develop work from a critical and personal perspective. Over 8 months, photographers Laura El-Tantawy and Max Pinckers have been guiding participants through different modes of storytelling, questioning traditional documentary strategies and aiming at the completion of a body of work.

In the upcoming edition, Laura El-Tantawy will be joined by editor and curator Elisa Medde. As the enrollment phase is open until 20 June, with the possibility to apply for a fully-funded scholarship and access the early bird fee until 23 May, we caught up with J Houston, Erin Lee, Sarah Schneider and Stella Meyer, Satyadeep Singh, Tessa Sinclair, Mbarak Madhi and Odysseas Tsompanoglou to know more of their experience.

You can deepen in their works by joining CRITICAE's year-end live presentation this Thursday, 23 May at 4pm CET.

Can you give us a glimpse of the project you’ve been working on this year during CRITICAE?

Sarah Schneider and Stella Meyer: We've been working on a photo essay about water privatization in Patagonia, Chile. It all started back in 1981 during Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship, with a big influence from the neoliberal economists called the Chicago Boys. The Código de Aguas (Waterlaw) has had a huge impact on Chile's economy, society, and environment, with most of the water now owned by big companies, both local and international. Chileans keep on protesting, demanding water as a human right. Any attempts to change the constitution have been rejected by the citizens. So, water privatization stands as a reminder of Chile's past under military rule.

J Houston: My most recent project, If I Had Hair, I'd Want You To Pull It, places portraits of other sex workers alongside images of manipulated environments, building a visual inventory of the world surrounding amateur and pro-amateur pornography. Self-determination is critical to this work; I approach photographing others as a constant collaboration, using a large-format view camera to give time and expense to our representation.

Erin Lee: Terra Nullius — meaning land belonging to no one — describes the concept used by the British government to justify the annexation of Australia as a British colony without acknowledging its inhabitants in 1788. The concept of Terra Nullius persisted as an Australian legal fiction for more than 200 years. Legal Fiction investigates the cultivation of white culture in Australian society. The work seeks to make visible the overlooked but deeply entrenched societal norms, symbolisms and power structures born from the British colonisation of Australia.

Mbarak Madhi: A couple of years ago, I found my family archives who immigrated from Indonesia to Saudi in the late '60s. This pushed me to try and find more pictures from my uncles who were photographers in Saudi from the '70s till the late '80s. I found out one of my uncles burned all the film negatives: deep down he knew these images would never see the light, as non-family members wouldn't be allowed to see my aunts and my female cousins' hair. My concern is to know that my family history in the future will only document the men, and not my aunts with whom I have a strong relationship. My project is a series that aims offer an alternative way to showcase these images, using contemporary tools.

Satyadeep Singh: In Sangam I'm documenting my hometown river which represents my slow unconscious love as well as fear for identity politics.

Tessa Sinclair: I have been working on a project about family estrangement when an adult child ceases contact with members of the family. This has been a personal project and the work I will be presenting is a slideshow that documents this very personal journey towards some form of understanding and acceptance. I explore the concept and tell the story employing landscape and still life imagery metaphorically with the addition of the spoken word.

Odysseas Tsompanoglou: The project I chose to develop within the documentary photography class is named Cecropia. The name of the project derives from the myth of Actaeon and it depicts my personal trauma-related experience, whereby the trauma starts from the point I started ignoring my boundaries (like in the myth, where Actaeon chooses to meet Artemis ignoring the possible outcomes) and its aftermath, which for me was a very big OCD crisis, which lasts until now. The project is divided into three parts: Hybris, Nemesis, and Tisis, which are associated with the three important phases of every ancient Greek tragedy. 

Are there any specific aspects of it for which you think the masterclass has been particularly influential?

Erin Lee: The structure of the masterclass helped to motivate my production of the work. Utilising the One-To-One Meetings and Group Sessions as opportunities to receive feedback on my experimentations really advances things. The Studio Visit artists made me explore outside of my normal thought processes and sparked ideas that I may not have come to otherwise – hearing from these artists offered access to new influences, ideas, and ways of thinking about how I am working.

Odysseas Tsompanoglou: At the start of the CRITICAE program, I wasn’t sure about which project I would like to develop. The class helped me to understand better what was inside me and with the help of my instructors I found new ways to express my inner thoughts and create an ongoing project.

J Houston: The work was primarily just a few single images when I began the class, with a loose throughline. As it went further into the course, I was able to try experimenting while photographing with new concepts brought up in individual meetings and critiques. Through both examining work introduced by the instructors as well as discussing my project at several key points, I've been able to see a couple of missing areas and build out a stronger theme.

Sarah Schneider and Stella Meyer: We started our project already before the beginning of CRITICAE but we got stuck at some point. Especially the One-To-One Sessions together with Laura and Max were very helpful for developing new ideas and finding directions on where to go next. Meeting other experts in the Studio Visits was very inspiring, also because they gave very intimate insights into their way of working. 

Tessa Sinclair: Working with a group and with experienced professional photographers has grounded my work in a way that I could not have replicated if I were working alone. The feedback big and small has helped hone my project and make it more impactful than if I had just been working through the material by myself.

Mbarak Madhi: I love the flexibility of the masterclass. I always can't find art programs that fit with my current job and I have always wanted to expand my knowledge in the arts and to be constantly inspired. In this masterclass, I received that push and inspiration as I could go back to the classes I couldn't attend in whatever timezone I was at in that time.

Satyadeep Singh: Finding out key indicators of our project, as well as clarity on the outcome of the project.

How would you describe the methods of Laura and Max? Was it useful to have different approaches assisting you while developing your project?

Tessa Sinclair: Laura has a remarkable way of going straight to the essence of your work and making very insightful comments that really make you stand back and look again at how you are doing things. She also has a wealth of experience in presenting work and her advice in this regard has been invaluable. Max has a particular approach to Documentary looking at how it is presented and questioning the very form of what documentary is so that has been new for me.

Sarah Schneider and Stella Meyer: While we perceived Laura more as an emotional photographer, Max has a rather thoughtful and structured way of working. So working with both of them was the perfect combination for developing our project, as we wanted to create emotional and at the same time conceptualized photographs.

Satyadeep Singh: They both have different aspects to indicate as well as interesting approaches that cover a lot of key aspects of the project. 

Erin Lee: Laura and Max are both very articulate mentors and able to express what they think may or may not be working in a constructive and concise way. Although the 1-to-1 sessions' did go quickly, I came away from each meeting with something useful and the next steps to take in mind. To describe them - I felt Max’s influence came through in pragmatic ways such as referencing other photographers, or books and research sources to read. Discussing book design structures, sequencing, page design, use of text, and what effect these things can have was very helpful. I felt Laura’s influence leaned towards the poetic side of discussing visual languages, how to merge these, and more about the overall feelings the work is evoking. Also, how history affects the work we are making today – she is very knowledgeable and interesting to talk about this aspect.

Mbarak Madhi: Laura and Max helped me a lot to figure out the next steps of this project after CRITICAE. It was a complex subject at the beginning of the program. Now, It will be split into three series with different mediums that respond to each subject that this series has under it. The versatility of opinions and focus that Laura and Max had towards my project helped me a lot to receive different valuable opinions.

What do you think CRITICAE brought to your educational path, as compared to more traditional courses?

Sarah Schneider and Stella Meyer: Meeting a lot of different artists from all parts of the world with different approaches to photography.

Erin Lee: I think the timeframe of 8 months is excellent. It is a good amount of time to experiment and develop the project with the guidance of the masterclass, focus on the direction you want the work to take, and be able to carry on after the course. And the opportunity to have conversations with Max and Laura, whose work I’ve admired for a long time was an amazing experience.

Mbarak Madhi: For me, It brought what I needed. Efficiency and flexibility. I have never attended a program where I can attend while being in different countries and cities constantly.

Satyadeep Singh: CRITICAE has very practical as well as transparent methods that help to find many roots in our projects.   

Odysseas Tsompanoglou: I loved the way of free thinking we had in this class. Also, it wasn’t like a photography school because everyone who participated in this program was already a photographer. All the brainstorming and discussions we had during the lessons were very useful. CRITICAE helped me a lot to organize my archive and to develop my storytelling in new ways.

Tessa Sinclair: The opportunity to have close supervision with photographers like Laura and Max has been very helpful.

What impression do you now have of online education? How was it like to interact with the rest of the group?

Satyadeep Singh: It was a very comfortable and approachable experience, with all the group members. That's the best thing.  

Erin Lee: Online education is wonderful! Connecting with other photographers and mentors from all over the world is so enriching. I think online works well for the early(ish) stages of project development and ideas testing that it seemed like most of us were at. The Studio Visits really add to the experience – there were many artists whom I did not know of before their presentations. It makes the course content much broader and adds value for money.

Mbarak Madhi: I believe this is what the future of education should be like. I made friends within the group and received/shared a lot of knowledge and support.

Odysseas Tsompanoglou: I got to know some very talented photographers from all over the world. That for me was the best part of this class. It was really nice that there was at least a photographer from every continent and that it was possible to see works that deal with many issues (colonialism, environment, society).

Sarah Schneider and Stella Meyer: We are big fans of online education because everyone can participate from all over the world without paying a huge amount of money for flights.

What advice would you give to future students to make the most out of their experience in the program?

Tessa Sinclair: It benefits your own work and that of the whole group of participants if you attend the group sessions and give as well as receive feedback.

Erin Lee: Make time to work on your project during the masterclass! The more experimentations, thought processes, and new work you can share – the more you will get out of the time together. Contribute to the conversations - the most stimulating sessions are when the conversations are layered and intriguing thanks to everyone’s input.

Sarah Schneider and Stella Meyer: Go to the One-To-One Sessions, ask as many questions as you can – there are no stupid questions! – be honest, be open, let yourself inspire.

Mbarak Madhi: Trust the process and keep on experimenting with the subject as there are different approaches that can be taken for any project.

Any advice for them on how to prepare for the application?

J Houston: It worked for me to put forward work that wasn't totally resolved, but that showed my continuity to a couple of key ideas. The work was relatively consistent in style, and the statement consisted of a couple of specific thoughts about where the project was at or was going.

Sarah Schneider and Stella Meyer: Show your work and yourself in the most honest way. Good luck!

Erin Lee: Have an idea of your final outcome when you apply, this will probably change throughout the duration of the course but having a goal in mind allows you to make the most of the meeting times and group sessions.

Tessa Sinclair: Work with a subject that you are committed to and which you have ideas about how to present.

Satyadeep Singh: Be comfortable and real with your application that's one of the major points. 

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CRITICAE Online Masterclass On Documentary Photography is part of the PhMuseum new educational program, comprising four different masterclasses that will all share a single intake period running until 20 June, with classes beginning in October 2024. Each course is tailored to meet the needs of emerging photographers, artists, curators, and contemporary storytellers looking to bring their methods to the next level. Check out which program suits you best at phmuseum.mom/education

APPLICATION KEY DATES:

23 May - If you apply by this date you can be eligible for the full scholarship, and will automatically access the Early Bird Fee of €1,750. 

20 June - If you apply by this date you can join the program by paying the Regular Fee of €2,000.