Founded in 2002 by Philippe Deblauwe, Benjamin Vié and a small group of photographers, Picturetank is a co-op photoagency and an international network of independent authors and collective structures.
This year, Picturetank is present in Perpignan with Convivències, a photography event with a rich and eclectic program. Invited by the Festival Off of Photojournalism, the cooperative welcomes you from August 28th to September 4th at the Casa Musicale.
“Convivències”, which means in Catalan living together, shared cultures and a common space, is comprised of photographic exhibitions, performances, projections and evening gatherings and discussions.
The opening will be on Thursday, September 1st at 5pm, followed by Familia from 10pm to 2am.
This festive evening is also the occasion to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the agency Panos Pictures, the 10th anniversary of the collective Argos,and the release of the review Zmalâ. Ostkreuz, Agentur Focus and Signatures are also taking part.
Exhibitions :
FAUX-BOURGS – Photographs by Yohanne Lamoulère / Transit
This work puts into perspective the transformations taking place in the 15th & 16th arrondissements in Marseille, and town planning operations (Grand Projet de Ville, PNRU, Euroméditerranée) with memory and the spirit of the place.
High-rise estates are demolished or “residentialised”, standardised real-estate programmes – often enclosed – are multiplying but do not necessarily form a town. By setting out to meet inhabitants, and documenting together the changes taking place, Faux-bourgs aims to raise awareness throughout the entire population of Marseille as to the stakes of a shared heritage and a common urban history.
Far from being incidental, the images we have of the place we live in often translate our positive or negative perceptions of it, and hence of ourselves. The population is defined by the town, which in turn defines its inhabitants. It is about working on appropriating the image of these districts by their inhabitants.
Without trying to idealise a mythical past, it is vital to leave room for it to exist, to question the destruction of “what came before” and the understanding of this city that is still being shaped.
See portfolio : Picturetank.com/slideshow
THE VERNET LOGBOOK – A photographic logbook by inhabitants of Le Vernet and the Studio Public collective.
After Southwark, Liège, Brussels and Paris, Studio-Public and Picturetank offered Perpignan the chance to produce “The Vernet Logbook”. Developed by Studio Public & the OST Collective, the Logbook is an interface which is designed to gather visual and written data, a tool to relearn how to observe, to look around and “see”. Equipped with a disposable camera, the inhabitants of Le Vernet bear witness to their own daily life by carrying out a series of missions.
Several dozen inhabitants of Perpignan of all ages took part in this project with the help of social workers from the Maison du Vernet and the Maison du Nouveau Logis. The Picturetank cooperative and Studio Public collective are proud to present the work created by interested and enthusiastic participants.
PARTICIPANTS: Abraham, Alain, Alexandre, Arno, Ashley, Benoit, Brandon, Brezil, Chanel, Chayma, Cindy, Dylan, Gilles, Ilies, Jawed, Jean-Pierre, Julie, John, Kader, Kadjidjia, Kendy, Kevin, Logan, Louisa, Madigan, Maêva, Maily, Mallory & Flea, Mandy, Mohamed, Marie-France, Marina, Mickael, Miguel, Mileva, Myriam, Nathalie, Neka, Nelly & Nini, Ophélie, Paul, Pouneshka, Roy, Sinai, Tony, Vincente, Yamina.
This action of cultural mediation is supported by the city of Perpignan, the Préfecture des Pyrénées-Orientales, the DRAC and the Ministère de la Culture.
The program is completed by projections and presentations of Webdocumentaries, including Duchoramas of the collective WOMPS.
