Istanbul… our imagination goes instantly to classic icons: fogs on the Bosporus, Orient Express, Graham Green, Agatha Christie, the Whirling Dervishes, the last eastern frontier of Europe…

After this, the architectures of the mosques, the culture of Byzantium and Constantinople…then the photographs of Ara Guler and the novels by Orhan Pamuk

And today, Istanbul as Cultural Capital of Europe (year 2010), art galleries, shopping, bars and cafés full of young people, night-life, design, fashion…

Elegance, melancholy and development mix continuously in what is, today, the trendiest city of Europe. Our workshop, as usual, will try to capture these magic moments, epiphanies, suspended time, trying to understand, with a simple and direct approach, the daily stories of the many people who live in this city with a population of almost 20 million.

From the popular district of Balat to the cafés of Chaingir, where artists, photographers, and intellectuals gather, to the lively streets of Beyoglu, and then crossing the Galata bridge, going through the crowded historical centre and the mosques and bazaars of Sultanahmet, we will have the chance do discover the real life of the city. Istanbul always surprises us with new scenarios, one fading into another…it does not scream, the visual impact is soft, as are the prayers coming from the mosques and the sound of the sirens from the ferries that restlessly cross the Bosporus.
During this workshop we will experience all this, exploring the everyday life of the city, with support from local assistants.

The workshop will focus on identifying a small project for each student to undertake as a photo series and to understand the dynamics of the photo essay.
Istanbul is so full of possibilities, a multifaceted city full of contrasts. Possible subjects include the Bosphuros, religion, traditional districts, modern districts, nightlife, cafés and markets, ethnic minorities and so much more.

At the end of each shooting day the group will come together to review and analyze the images and to discuss ways to move the project forward for the next day. I will also go through each persons work on a one to one. At the end of the week we will make a slide presentation of each persons completed photo essay/series.

www.georgegeorgiou.net

Practical Information:
Dates: May 1-8, 2010
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Visa/Passport: please check whether you need a visa.

Workshops costs:
Workshop fee € 1400 includes 2 dinners
Hotel Villa Zurich, in Chiangir. The cost is approx 80 € per night with breakfast. Please let us know if you plan to stay there. Meals: meals will be independent, except as stated above. Eating out in Istanbul is a real culinary experience…
Travel: Istanbul is connected with the world’s major airports.
If needed, we can arrange transportation airport/hotel.

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Gorge Georgiou

I was born in London. After completing a BA in photography at the Polytechnic of Central London, I have worked as a freelance photographer represented by Panos Pictures, UK and Prospekt, Italy.
I have photographed extensively in the Balkans, Eastern Europe and Turkey for the last decade, living and working in Serbia, Greece, and for Five years in Istanbul, Turkey. My work has focused on the space people find themselves in, when caught between communities, cultures and ideologies.

My book Fault Lines: Turkey East West will be released in the spring of 2010. I have moved back to London where I have started a major project on contemporary London, also to be published as a book.

My work is also included in 2 upcoming books, Contact Sheet by Ammo books and Street Photography Now by Thames and Hudson

I have published throughout Europe and US including:
Independent magazine, Sunday Times magazine, Observer in UK
Il Mundo magazine in Spain
La Republica, Expresso, Gioia, Diario in Italy
Epsilon, Kapa in Greece.
Grand Reportage inPortugal.
Der Spiegel, Stern, Geo in Germany.
Newsweek, US News & WR, New Yorker. In USA.
Le Monde, VSD, Le Vie, Courrier International in France.

Prizes and Awards

World Press Photo, 2nd prize Art stories 2005, Flour Festival
Picture of the Year International, USA 1st prize Spot News for Magazine, 2004, Istanbul bombings.
World Press Photo 1st prize Portrait stories 2003, Serbia
“Between the Lines” short-listed for European Book Publishers Award 2003.
Finalist for Mosaique Awards 2003.
Uk Nikon Press Awards 1999 Photo Essay, “Stimlje Psychiatric Hospital.

Exhibitions

Fault Lines, Month of photography, Athens 2008
Transit Ukraine, Noorderlicht, Holland, 2008.
Fault Lines: Turkey, Moving Walls, New York 2008
Cyprus: Between the Lines, Living together, a British Council touring exhibition 2008-09
Turkey, Cyprus and Serbia, Gallery55, Athens Greece 2007
“Between the Lines”, Novo Mesto, Slovenia 2006
“Cyprus” Docu-photo, Prizren, Kosovo 2006
“Between the Lines”, Leica Gallery Solms, Germany 2005
Photography centre Skopelos, Greece 2005
“Between the Lines”, Touring exhibition in Serbia: Belgrade, Novi Sad, and Cacak
“Between the Lines”, Side Gallery Newcastle UK
Screening “Visa Pour L’Image “, Perpignan, France-
Kosovan Village, Serb train and Psychiatric hospitals.
Jerwood gallery, London, UK
Camerwork, London, UK
Islington Arts factory, London, UK