Proclamation

for a “House of photography”

Project

Playing the role of peddler between the public, the professionals (authors, editors, galerists, etc.) and any person or institution interested by the image, such will be the vocation of this House of photography. This shunting center will as much as possible use the existing potential of the Grenoble urban center and the Isere department (photographic resources, books, various documents, training activities, etc.) and will be an exchange and meeting place open largely to all: private individuals, schools, associations, media libraries, etc. Plastician photography, photojournalism, documentary photography, illustration, historical photography, no exclusive as for the style of the images presented within the framework of its actions.

Federative role

The House of photography will not compete with any association, club, gallery, company, institution or group already working on photography in the area. It will rather stick on supporting these initiatives by publishing a quaterly detailed program, announcing and reporting all that is related with photography: trade fairs, exhibitions, trainings, conferences, meetings, etc. It will also encourage the public to consult the other structures for activities out of its competences: technical training, prints lending, etc. In the long term, and in order to mark a main event during the year, a formula like the “Month of photography” could take place in relation with the existing structures.

A teaching dimension

The training and sensitizing with the reading of images will be one of the strong direction of this House of the photography which will attempt to clarify, to all audiences, the role of the image in the world today. The teaching dimension of this project is essential. In relation with schools, high schools and colleges, the House of photography will propose trainings to the reading of the photographic image, commented exhibitions tours as well as meetings with photographers and scholars.

International influence

The different actions are dedicated to migrate. We will accomodate outside projects, it is essential that those which are produced here could also live elsewhere. Partnerships with similar structures in France and in the world will make it possible to open the sphere of the House of photography. For the records, some obvious potential partners: Centre atlantique de la photographie of Brest, Maison de la Photographie Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Le Centre photographique of’Ile-de-France, Maison Europeenne de la photographie in Paris, Rencontres Internationales de la photographie d’Arles, Festival du photoreportage of Perpignan, gallerie le Chateau d’eau in Toulouse, Centre de la photographie of Geneva, musee de l’Élysee in Lausanne, Musée de la photographie of Charleroi, Fotografinshus of Stockholm, le Musee canadien de la photographie contemporaine, Moscow House of photography, the Madrid, Dallas and Moscow months of photography, Rencontres de la photographie of Bamako, Peijing Festival, etc.

Exhibitions

Four to five main exhibitions (set on themes or monographic) will be carried out each year. They will be House of photography specific productions (regional authors or great names in photography) or resumptions of great national or international exhibitions according to the means and value of these projects. Partnerships will be tighten with publishers, galleries, magazines and agencies. These main exhibitions will be supplemented by minor scale projects, suggested or brought up by the photographers themselves. The association doesn’t want however to settle down the exhibitions, but rather to invest the city and promote exhibitions in other places that could welcome them.

Publications

In addition to the quarterly program, the House of photography will publish a catalogue for each exhibition as well as reports from conferences and meetings. These publications could be substancial in the case of exhibitions of great unknown authors. They will be less substancial if the photographer is already granted with a large bibliography. These catalogues will keep beautiful testimony of the events but also will become, in the long run, a collection whose notoriety will very largely exceed the regional framework to open with the international one. Even if written and carried out by recognized authors in their field, these works will not be conceived for specialists but will carry, on the contrary, a true popularization of reflexion on photography. An incentive policy will make possible to propose small size prints to amateurs for a collection at a reasonable cost.

Meetings

The House of photography will become a place of reflexions and exchanges about photography, for pros as amateurs. It will host the guest authors and give opportunity (specially for students) to meet them. Debates will be organized on any subjects related with photography.

Screenings

Many productions on photography are available in DVD or VHS formats. Commented screenings will be regularly organized in the evenings for the public and in daytime for the schools.

The resource library

All the photography magazines (French and foreign), and all the available photography books and CD-Rom (technical monographs, works, tests, etc.), as well as computers for web-surfing or CD-Rom playing will be at the public disposal. These databases will be in free to consult but not to be taken out.

Preservation

The House of photography will have storage and will be a place of preservation.

Means

The House of photography will have to gather, in a central place:

• A large showroom open to the city and including a public reception room,

• A smaller room for exhibitions of a lesser scale. On occasion this space could be used for screenings or conferences,

• A library with magazines, books, DVD, computers on free access,

• A small photography oriented bookstore,

• A training room for practices and meetings,

• A conservatory storage.

For its functionning, the House of photography will rely on members contributions, with the support of the authorities, on the products of its sales (posters, catalogues, prints, books, etc.) and private participations (patronage, sponsoring, partnerships, etc). On the model of many existing structures, the association will manage the House of photography and will name a manager who will be in charge of the art direction and the smooth running of the equipment. He will be the host of this welcoming and demanding House.

Pascal Kober

2005.06.21