KISDtalk “Photobook Highlights. A look at the history of the photobook and the current situation”

A history of the photobook must not only ask how history is constructed, but how photobooks construct stories.
My talk, after a brief introduction of the medium, will be a quick ride through the past of the photobook with examples from landscape, street- and colour photography, before turning to what I believe to be ‘trends’ in more recent photobook productions right now, glimpses into a possible future.

Dr. Anja Schürmann is working as Permanent Research Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities Essen (KWI). Her post-doc project deals with visual narration in photobooks. It examines the topic on both a narrative-theoretical and an aesthetic level of iconicity. She has written several essays on this topic and co-edited a thematic issue of the journal Fotogeschichte with Steffen Siegel. In 2016 she won the 1st prize of the international talent competition of C/O Berlin in the field of art criticism. For more info visit here.

The talk will be held in room 12. 

As part of the Photoszene Festival, the students of Köln International School of Design (KISD) will exhibit their work from the project »Trust – Distance – Intimacy« between May 12 and 20, 2023. In 2022, the project “Trust – Distance – Intimacy” began with two photography courses led by Anna Shapiro. During these courses, the students not only developed practical skills but also individually approached the theme “Trust – Distance – Intimacy”. The students’ interpretations resulted in unique photographs that tell stories about people, places and emotions. The outcomes include various formats and mediums: from digital photography to analogue technology, and even 3D scans.

We welcome you to join us for the vernissage of the exhibition »Trust – Distance – Intimacy« on May 12, 2023 at 5:00 pm on the premises of the Köln International School of Design (KISD).