A Lab designed to build up a community of artists and philosophers
The Philosophy Photography Lab PHLSPH is an independent online platform conceived as a bridge between the community of lens-based artists and that of philosophers. It is designed to operate as a creative learning hub and a gathering space, in which original work may be produced from the interaction of the two communities. Transfiguring ideas, projects and interaction into exhibitions, publications, public events is one of its main goals. For that reason, there is a call for action in every section of the Lab and an invitation to participate and contribute. As you will discover, there are access points for photographers and philosophers throughout the Lab, covering different interests and levels of expertise in both areas.
Who is it for?
It is addressed to photographers who have an interest in critical thinking and philosophical reasoning, and not just in using philosophical quotes to sprinkle an abstract. It is for all those curious to experiment in collaborating with a philosopher in a non-academic manner; eager to explore how their images may have philosophical implications, or can be viewed from another angle. Such types of encounters may lead to more solid visual narratives and also create opportunities for new networks.
At the same time, it is targeted at philosophers and researchers keen on trying out the social impact of their work; willing to explore intersections of photography and philosophy, or to expose dormant philosophical questions in the form of a brief statement; setting up open calls and experimenting on curating; sharing papers that may inform artistic processes; asking the community for information useful to their research.
The platform in titles
WORK gives you the opportunity to collaborate with a philosopher on a specific topic.
PLAY offers out of the box consulting.
TRACK collects work based or inspired by a philosopher’s ideas.
EXPERIMENT presents ongoing interdisciplinary projects.
EXTEND couples selected or nominated works with a philosopher’s comment and presents philosophy condensed in an image.
JOIN calls for photographers’ input to a philosopher’s question, creates space for philosophers to share papers, hosts interviews of artists by philosophers and invites artists to participate in open calls.
Of course, the Lab is dynamic and is dependent on the interest and trust shown by both communities; trial and error is the way it will move forward, so please propose novel ideas or share constructive criticism.
CONNECT with us. We Welcome You to PHLSPH!
Behind the scenes
Alexandra Athanasiadou, PhD is an art professional with an interdisciplinary approach to photography and the founder of the PHLSPH Lab. She has been working with artists for the past fifteen years by exploring different positions in the photography world through various collaborations with institutions, organizations and galleries. The Museum of Photography in Thessaloniki, [Greece], Candlestar in London, the European Program Transeurope PhotoProject a platform including PhotoEspaña and the Finnish Museum of Photography, IOM Central Asia, the University of Crete [Greece] would serve as titles under previous employers.
Curatorial texts, conceptual engineering, imagination as a tool for disruption, is what she would choose as keywords for her metadata.
She holds a PhD in Aesthetics, a Master of Arts from the Courtauld Art Institute in London, and is a graduate of Oxford University (St. Hilda’s College) and of the Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences (Athens).
