PRESSURA

6 photographers, 4 weekends in different cities in person, 3 months of orientation and workshops with 6 mentors and lecturers, in person and online, one super team, one curator, 6 art projects and 1 exhibition.

Pressura is carried out within the framework of Smart Balkans and is a new initiative of Fokus Award 2023.

The erosion of press freedom, the lack of media oriented toward social journalism, reduced editorial budgets for reportage and the mass use of stock photography — and, more broadly still, the decline of trust in the press, its control by those in power and clientelism in the sector on one hand, as well as the growing danger for photojournalists as they become targets amid conflicts, driven by the ever-increasing need to consume “spot” images, the decline of interest in news (public apathy) and the rise of interest in so-called “gossip”, social networks and the exponential growth of images on them, on the other hand — are just some of the factors that have diminished the impact of this work today, endangering the future of photojournalism tomorrow, especially in our regions, where the socio-cultural shock absorbers against these blows, as well as the experience in dealing with them, are entirely absent.

All of this, directly and indirectly, further affects concrete everyday problems that undermine society itself today, the preservation of Memory, and the future integration of Albanian society into the Euro-Atlantic one. But the power of photography as a medium does not diminish or dissolve because of these factors, and on the other hand, today digital technology offers photographers a creative freedom they have never had before. Society, at every level, continues to want visual storytelling; storytelling continues to grow ever more important in photojournalism and art. Those who can tell a story through images survive in this market — they are essential, not just for the sector, but above all for our society.

PRESSURA is a nomadic art residency for photographers from Albania and the region. The “Pressura Residency” will create an environment that is not only formative in character, but that also fosters cultural and professional exchange among photographers, strengthens their critical spirit, and helps this class of professionals orient themselves toward social photography — as an artistic sensibility and a stance toward contemporary social-historical reality.

A core objective of the project is that, alongside the investigative nature of their work toward the so-called objective/authorial truth, photographers should develop a sense deeply oriented toward storytelling as a tool that is both ancient and modern for telling the often complex reality of our region, and to fight public disinformation by authenticating reality according to their own ethics and conscience. The methodology used for teaching combines engagement between photographers, field workshops, masterclasses (including online), work presentations (portfolios) and the realisation of a personal project for each participant, monitored by a tutor or curator. At the end of the residency, the projects developed during it by the photographers will be shown to the public in a collective exhibition, itself also nomadic, in several cities across the country or the region.

It isn't much, but it is an opportunity for a few photographers who can change their vision, and why not, their careers too, and then go on to contribute to changing our society. This is essential.

Apply at: info@ejalbum.com / info@fokusaward.com with an idea for a social reportage.