GABRIELLE GOUYET

 Summer Workshop  •  September 10-16, 2025

Siracusa, Italy

TRACES WITHIN • EVA VOUTSAKI

Memories, dreams, fantasies and myths.

“Dreams are private myths; myths are public dreams” Joseph Campbell, American Mythologist.

Use the mesmerising ancient town of Siracusa as a platform to explore your subconscious story, what lies within you. Over the course of a week, you’ll be guided through group tutorials, tailored feedback, and experimentation to develop or start an ongoing photography project. This workshop is designed to help you reconnect with your inner voice and express it through visual storytelling using memories, dreams, fantasies and myths.

Whether you’re continuing an existing project or looking for new inspiration, this experience will offer both. You’ll engage in group discussions, have one-on-one tutorials with Eva, and find ample time to walk, think, and reflect. Siracuse is a UNESCO listed city as a World Heritage site and you can feel the uninterrupted passage of time by visiting the Temple of Apollo, Dionysus cave, Arethousa’s fountain, etc. Each day will feature a mix of guided tasks, group meetings, and personal time for creative self-discovery. We’ll incorporate art therapy techniques and emphasize a deeply subjective approach to storytelling. Bring any prints, photocopies, ephemera and writing you want to use as a prompt for the week.

Draft plan for the workshop, subject to change based on participants’ needs and interests:

Day 1: Introduction to the workshop and portfolio presentation. Eva will introduce you to a range of mythological themes, such as Orpheus and Eurydice, Persephone, Aegeus, the Minotaur, Mnemosyne, the Nymphs, Lethe, and other relevant myths. Begin working on your chosen myth. Explore Siracusa and some key ancient sites.
Day 2: Visualize and capture a recurring or vivid dream or nightmare you’ve had.
Day 3: Revisit your myth project and combine it with elements from your dream/nightmare work.
Day 4: Create a series of self-portraits based on your personal fantasies.
Day 5: Final editing and the opportunity to practice basic bookbinding. Create a project “dummy” with your writings, photos, and materials you’ve gathered.

Discovering Siracusa

Exploring a new place is an extraordinary opportunity for creative expression and letting go of the ordinary. Through years of teaching, learning, and practicing, I’ve developed a unique approach to photography that I’m eager to share with you. I can mentor you by reviewing your portfolio, help edit your images, encourage peer review, advise on international competitions, answer any technical questions to help improve ongoing projects, and offer any relevant advice to enhance your portfolio.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

We will be based in Ortigia, the historical heart of Siracusa. With its stunning waterfront, narrow streets, historic buildings, street food, and vibrant nightlife, Ortigia offers a perfect setting for inspiration. Should you wish to explore further, nearby towns like Noto and Modica are within easy reach.

Accommodation: We’ve reserved some rooms in a cozy, central hotel where we’ve stayed before. You can choose to stay here or arrange your own lodging nearby. Since it’s the end of the season, it’ll be easier to find accommodation at various price points. Feel free to contact us for help.

Meals: While you’ll be free to manage your meals during the day, we’ll come together for dinners, which are an integral part of our workshops. Ortigia offers a range of dining options, from casual canteens to sophisticated restaurants.

Travel: The best airport to arrive at is Catania Fontanarossa, which is well-connected to the rest of Italy and Europe. From there, a taxi or bus will take you to Ortigia.

BIOGRAPHY

I am a photographer and educator based in Brighton, UK.

My studies include a BSc in Law, an MA in Photography, a foundation in Art Therapy and a PGCE in Further Education. I have created my own workshops on Subjective Photography and autobiographical storytelling and deliver them internationally. In 2014 I was invited from ISSP, as one of the 6 international experts, to deliver a workshop as part of the Contemporary Self Portrait Project. My teaching includes elements of Art Therapy.

Mythology, memory, fantasy and the unconscious form the basis for my creativity. My project Traces Within has been awarded honourable mentions at the 2008 and 2009 PX3 Paris Photography Prize competition in the category of fine art student and has been internationally recognized and exhibited among other places at 2009 Arles juried festival Voies Off, 2010 Rome Fotografia Festival in MACRO Museum of Contemporary Arts, BOM gallery in Seoul, Menier and HOST gallery in London. The dummy Traces Within was selected for the F Photobook Show in Tokyo Institute of Photography in 2014.

Since 2008 I have been working collaboratively and inter-generationally on the family archives of my tiny village Drakona in Crete. My dummy Family Photo Sketch Book: The Drakona Block was selected as a finalist for the 2014 Kassel International Photobook Dummy Award (exhibited in Goethe Institute-Ankara, MIA Image Art Fair-Milan, PhotoIreland-Dublin, IED-Madrid, The Photobook Museum-Cologne, Fotogaleriet-Oslo, Le Bal-Paris, Fotoleggendo-Rome, Paraty Em Foco-Paraty, Madalena Workshops-Sao Paolo, FORMAT and Liverpool International Photography Festivals, Athens Photo Festival-Athens.)

In 2015 I was selected for the Magnum Professional Practice Masterclass in London.

Since January 2016 I am an associate tutor at University of Sussex and at International Study Group, teaching photography.

In 2020 I self-published my book Traces Within, designed by Emily Macaulay with an intro by Vanessa Winship. All 800 copies are hand bound by me.

More info/exhibitions/etc: https://www.evavoutsaki.com/bio.html

PRACTICAL INFO