ABOUT CONTRAST

MULTIDISCIPLINARY ARTISTIC NETWORK OF ART, ARCHITECTURE, DESIGN AND PHOTOGRAPHY

The Contrast project corresponds to the creation of a network of multidisciplinary artistic initiatives in Art, Architecture, Design and Photography that counts with the direct involvement of eleven institutions of higher education teachingphotography in various disciplinary and artistic areas: ARCO, DARQ, DCAM, EA.UCP, ESAP, ESMAD, FAUP, FBAUL, FBAUP, FEUP, IPT and UL.CUP.

The project has been selected for funding in the DGARTES contest to support projects of creation and edition, through theCultural Association Cityscopio, with joint coordination between ESMAD-uniMAD and FBAUP – i2ADS, and led by FAUP. 

PRESENTATION OF THE PROJECT

The CONTRAST project aims to contribute to the dissemination, creation and teaching of photography in its interactionwith Art, Architecture and Design. This contribution will be developed nationally and internationally through the sharingof experiences and knowledge between schools, non-academic groups and associations, bringing together the interest ofdifferent audiences in these themes in a transversal and holistic perspective.

The offered activities are carried out based on the work and synergies developed both through its online platform and through the publication CONTRAST that currently gathers the work of ten higher education schools teaching photography in several disciplinary and artistic areas: ARCO, DARQ, DCAM, EA.UC, ESMAD, FAUP, FBAUL, FBAUP, FEUP, IPT and UL.CUP. For this, it is proposed an interdisciplinary cultural development focused on the creation of a network of artistic initiatives and critical reflection, encouraging debate on transversal themes to Art, Architecture and Design through the world of Creation, Publishing, and the Teaching of Photography in various disciplinary areas, reinforcing the artistic and publishing offer, access and participation in the arts, bringing together various institutions and groups from different communities. 

The artistic initiatives include the creation of artistic works, the reproduction of prior works and specific actions to develop audiences, involving partner institutions and local communities, providing active participation in the creation and appreciation of the arts by different audiences, with the suggested initiatives serving as documentary and artistic territories for various projects. 

PUBLICATION

The publication CONTRAST, with a biannual periodicity, already has a first issue corresponding to the years 2018-2019, and currently brings together the work of twelve schools of photography education in various disciplinary and artistic areas: ARCO, DARQ, DCAM, EA.UC, ESAP, ESMAD, FAUP, FBAUL FBAUP,  FEUP, IPT and UL.CUP. 

Publishing is an essential aspect of the CONTRAST project and its network of multidisciplinary artistic initiatives in Art, Architecture, Design and Photography intends to reinforce and update the editorial component of this project. For this, a new publication – CONTRAST II, now in bilingual printed and online version – is proposed, which will enhance the dissemination of the project, creating synergies with the printed version, essential to ensure a physical memory that can be consulted and studied by various audiences through libraries and archives or even purchased in certain bookstores linked to our area of interest.

PROJECT DISPLAY

The project draws on the consolidated experience of many publishing  projects and public initiatives of the Cultural Association Cityscopio – namely scopio Editions and CONTRAST publishing: Photography in Higher Education – whichleads this project associated with the AAI-CEAU-FAUP group, being the general coordination assured in partnership withESMAD-uniMAD and FBAUP – I2ADS / ID+.

The aim is to reinforce, update and disseminate in a more significant way this CONTRAST publication, which was the result of a partnership established in several scientific and artistic areas, andbetween several different schools of photography teaching: ARCO – Centre for Art and Visual Communication; DARQ – Department of Architecture of the Faculty of Sciences and Technology of the University of Coimbra; DCAM – Department of Film and Media Arts: School of Communication, Architecture, Arts and Userrmation Technologies – Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias Lisbon; ESAP | Art School of Porto; ESMAD | School of Media, Arts and Design, Vila Do Conde; FAUP- Faculty of Architecture of the University of Porto; FBAUL – Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Lisbon; FBAUP Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Porto; FEUP Engineering Faculty; IPT – Polytechnic Institute of Tomar. At this moment we are already twelve institutions with EA.UCP – School of Arts of the Portuguese Catholic University and Lusofona University  – Porto University Center – UL.CUP.

The network of multidisciplinary artistic initiatives in Art, Architecture, Design and Photography proposed by this project will enhance synergies between the various institutions involved and increase their visibility, as well as that of their students’ projects. A periodical publication – CONTRAST – is proposed, bringing together a diverse set of texts of critical reflection and analysis, on photographic projects carried out in a educational and research context and representative of the main institutions of Portuguese Higher Education linked to the teaching of photography, also integrating curricular units in which photography appears within other disciplinary areas. 

The various artistic initiatives will provide active participation in the creation and appreciation of the arts in various audiences, and these initiatives may be regarded as documentary and artistic territories for contemporary photography projects. Artistic initiatives that will generate several concrete results -contemporary photography projects- in different supports, which will be the motto and content for the realization of audio sessions in TV format, the development of an online platform dedicated to the programme and the realization of several seminars, debates, and itinerant photography exhibitions and production online and in book format for future memory and continuation of the project. The strategic combination of such activities is designed to generate a virtuous cycle where each of the constituent parts reinforces and feeds the project as a whole.

The production of audio and video records of these initiatives will be the object of a selection of images and testimonies of the participants, allowing maximizing the impact of the outputs obtained from the debate and critical reflection on the programmes, seminars, artworks and book. The exhibitions that will complement the conferences, debates and seminars will allow a greater proximity of the public with the works of the authors and collectives involved, offering new readings and perceptions of the artistic production through images-synthesis of their programmes and works.

In this context, the online platform will constitute a significant support for interaction between the various institutions involved, as well as for the dissemination of the programme and its contents, strengthening the relational dynamics between the various products that are proposed to be developed, by exploring the potentialities of video/audio and online book formats.

COORDINATION

The team of this project counts on the solid experience of twelve higher education institutions – ARCO, DARQ, DCAM, EA.UC, ESAP, ESMAD, FAUP, FBAUL, FBAUP FEUP, IPT and UL.CUP. – that through several projects, research and initiatives, along with Cityscopio’s editorial experience, ensure a strong integrated and complementary strategy of teaching, research and communication, namely through the organization of conferences, debates, exhibitions, projects, courses /workshops andbook publications that expand photography to other disciplinary areas. 

The project has a joint coordination in partnership with the Cultural Association Cityscopio, ESMAD-uniMAD andFBAUP – i2ADS / ID+, and is led by FAUP through the research group Architecture, Art and Image (AAI) integrated in theCentre for the Study of Architecture and Urbanism (CEAU).

FUNDING

The project was selected for funding in the DGARTES contest to support projects of creation and edition, through theCultural Association Cityscopio, with coordination between ESMAD-uniMAD and FBAUP – i2ADS / ID+, and led by FAUP.

INSTITUTIONS WITH JOINT COORDINATION

The project was selected for funding by Associação Cultural Cityscopio in the DGARTES’ contest to support projects of creation and edition and has a joint coordination in partnership with ESMAD-uniMAD and FBAUP – i2ADS /ID+, being led by FAUP.

AAI / CEAU / FAUP
uniMAD / ESMAD
I2ADS / ID+ / FBAUP

Team

director

Artistic and Scientific Council

PEDRO TROPA (AR.CO)
ORLANDO FRANCO (DCAM)
RODRIGO PEIXOTO (DCAM)
Sofia Silva (DCAM)
José Maças de Carvalho (DARQ)
Eduarda Neves (ESAP)
Mª COVADONGA BARREIRO (ESAP)
Nuno Ramalho (ESAP)
RUI LOUROSA (ESAP)
João Leal (ESMAD / unimad)
Luís Ribeiro (ESMAD / unimad)
Olívia da Silva ( ESMAD / unimad)
Maria Neto (CEAU / FAUP / UBI)
Mário Mesquita (FAUP / FBAUP / i2ADS)
José Carneiro (FBAUP / i2ADS)
Susana Lourenço Marques (FBAUP / i2ADS)

JORGE MANUEL GOMES BARBOSA (FEUP)
Cecília BABTISTA (IPT)
ALEXANDRE MAGALHÃES (IPT)
valter ventura (ipt)
PEDRO MAIA (UL.CUP / I2ADS)

collaboration

Diana Senra (2021 / 2022)
Sara Lino (2021 / 2022)

online platform

coordINATION
(2023-2024)
Pedro Leão Neto (ceau / faup)

(2021-2022)
miguel leal (i2ADS / FBAUP)

webdesign
(2021-2022)
Mariana Simões
 
IMAGE AND COMMUNICATION

(2023-2024)
NE SANTELMO (CREATIVE DIRECTOR)
ARTUR LEÃO (DESIGN COLLABORATOR)

WEB PROGRAMMING
(2023-2024)
CARLOS FERREIRA (WEBNUCLEO)