Cover image: André Kertész, Fork. 1928. © The Estate of André KertészAs part of Meridian Junior College’s College Day, the MJC Photography Alumni is proud to announce the 3rd Annual Alumni Photography Exhibition. This year, we will be exploring the theme of Objet trouvé. French for “found art”, it was Marcel Duchamp who pioneered this unique form of installation art by converting commonplace objects into conversational, and often controversial, art pieces.
While installation art is beyond the realm of most photographers, the concept of objet trouvé is intriguing for it concerns the idea of “art from reality”, rather than “art from creation”. This figurative form of expression aims to be derivative of the real world, and is not alien to photographers. Most of our work is a cropped and modified version of life as we know it to be.
In this exhibition, we will be examining a loose definition of objet trouvé and open its interpretation to the creativity of the photographer. Importantly, the subject matter must be a commonplace object, reimagined. You must rearrange, modify or photograph your subject such that it takes on a new meaning, unlike that of its original form.
And, remember that the objective of the Annual Alumni Photography Exhibition has always been to promote art and photography to the school, and this year's is no different. Go, venture!
Exhibition Guidelines
Theme: Objet trouvé
Description of theme:
Objet trouvé, or found art, is art that is derived from real objects otherwise considered as non-art. These objects can be modified and/or rearranged, and placed in a context that designates it as art. The title also plays a major role in reinforcing this designation. Works submitted for this exhibition must be in a photograph format.
Exhibition rules:
· Only photographers who are or were once members of the MJC Photography Club, current members of the MJC Photography Alumni or current members of the MJC Alumni are eligible for this exhibition
· Each body of work (that belongs under one title) must comprise of no more than three photographs
· Each photographer can submit no more than three separate works
· Individual works with a mixture of vertical and horizontal formats will be rejected. You can either have 2–3 horizontals, 2–3 verticals OR 1 vertical/horizontal photograph per work. Square formats are also accepted
· Each work can have only one title, and must be accompanied by a short description of it
· Each photograph must be larger than 2560 pixels on the long end OR have 5 megapixels
· Heavily manipulated work is discouraged but allowed, as long as the theme and the quality of the result is not compromised
· Participants will have to pay a minimal fee for the cost of printing and framing, of which the amount will be advised at a later date
Submission:
Submissions must be made to mjcphotog.alumni@gmail.com by July 10, 2011 under the subject title '(your name) - Objet Trouve'. Package each body of work in a ZIP file, which should contain the following:
· Photographs (maximum of three allowed)
· Text file containing: title of work, description of work, photographer, current occupation of photographer, previous class in MJC
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Here are some examples for your inspiration.
Aesthetic/Interpretive:
Paul Outerbridge, Triumph of the Egg. 1932. © The Estate of Paul Outerbridge
Tina Modotti, Calle. 1925. © The Estate of Tina Modotti
Alfred Stieglitz, Photograph of Marcel Duchamp's Fountain. 1917.
