This Wednesday at 2PM members of Oculi will be speaking on the subject “Objective/Subjective” at The Museum of Contemporary Art in a special event organised by Semi-Permanent.

The event is free but bookings are essential as seats are limited.

Come along to what will be a thought provoking discussion in [...]]]>

This Wednesday at 2PM members of Oculi will be speaking on the subject “Objective/Subjective” at The Museum of Contemporary Art in a special event organised by Semi-Permanent.

The event is free but bookings are essential as seats are limited.

Come along to what will be a thought provoking discussion in a beautiful location on the top floor of The MCA.

For more information and to register CLICK HERE.

Last Friday night, the Reportage Festival launched at the MCA at Circular Quay in Sydney.

The Festival has been running for more than a decade already and has made its way from back yards in Bondi, to the Palace Academy Twin Cinema in Paddington, The Chauvel Cinema just up the road [...]]]>

Last Friday night, the Reportage Festival launched at the MCA at Circular Quay in Sydney.

The Festival has been running for more than a decade already and has made its way from back yards in Bondi, to the Palace Academy Twin Cinema in Paddington, The Chauvel Cinema just up the road from there and to The National Art School in Darlinghurst where it celebrated its tenth year in late 2010.

Consultation between Vivid Festival organisers (who had approached Reportage to be a part of their festival) and their major sponsor - Destination NSW - regarding the content of the festival, had been undertaken for the weeks and months leading up to the launch.

On Wednesday last week, Destination NSW CEO, Sandra Chipchase intervened in the process, heavily editing if not banning bodies of work entirely (some pictured at left).

The result? The uncensored screening was forced inside and took place at Customs House on Sunday evening. The public projections remain but have been heavily compromised after being culled to 14 of the original 37.

The fiasco has received substantial interest across both social and traditional media. Below are links to some of the coverage:

Helen Davidson reported for The Guardian on the projections issue as well as similar issues surrounding the Oculi group exhibition – also part of Reportage.

ABC 7pm TV News, Sunday night.

Sarah Whyte wrote in The Sun Herald.

The Sydney Morning Herald published a gallery of the images that won’t be seen in public.

Nicola Harvey wrote for ABC Arts online.

Media watchdog Crikey on “when photographs are just too Vivid for Sydney”.

Online photographic hub, PetaPixel also weighed in.

New York based photography resource, Develop has also stayed abreast of the situation, publishing a number of the banned works and speaking with their authors.

Pedestrian.tv drew attention to the silhouetted naked bodies projected on the Opera House while just across the way, similar imagery was being culled from the Reportage projections.

Yahoo !7 syndicated ABC‘s coverage. 

And to finish, I’ll leave you with a comment on the ABC Arts message board from reader davidlb: “People in mental health call this ‘aversion’ (sic) as you avoid situations {images} you learn to avoid more and more until you live in the fantasy realm of denial – only by avoiding are you safe. This is denial of the reality…”

- Andrew Quilty / Oculi

US blogger extraordianaire, Eric Kim interviewed Oculi members on the “Home” project which launches today in Sydney for ONE NIGHT ONLY!!!

For more information CLICK HERE.

Congratulations to one of Oculi’s newest member, David Maurice Smith, who has been named Australia’s Emerging Documentary/Photojournalism Photographer of The Year for 2013 by Capture Magazine.

Smith has been working tirelessly on a project focussing on the complexities of an Australian indigenous community in western NSW over the [...]]]>

Congratulations to one of Oculi’s newest member, David Maurice Smith, who has been named Australia’s Emerging Documentary/Photojournalism Photographer of The Year for 2013 by Capture Magazine.

Smith has been working tirelessly on a project focussing on the complexities of an Australian indigenous community in western NSW over the last year. The culmination of this work will be screening as a projection at the Reportage Festival from late May. Smith’s work promises to be a highlight among a field of some of the world’s best photojournalists and should not be missed.

For more information on Reportage as it comes to light, CLICK HERE.

The exhibition is supported by Epson Australia and opens May [...]]]> Oculi is excited to announce that as part of the 2013 Reportage Photography Festival and in partnership with BLURB books, we will be presenting HOME, an interactive exhibition where viewers will be able to populate and sequence their own custom book from the Oculi Collective’s exhibition images.

The exhibition is supported by Epson Australia and opens May 22nd at 6pm at the Cleland Bond building in The Rocks (33 Playfair Street).

Please join us for what will be an amazing opening night.

Opening Night:               Wednesday May 22nd, 6-9pm

Dates:                               May 22nd to June 10th

Opening hours:               Tues-Sat 11-6pm, Sun 12-4pm

Venue:                              Ground Level, Cleland Bond, 33 Playfair Street, The Rocks

                                                                                                                                                                               image: Andrew Quilty/Oculi

About the Exhibition theme:

“Since its conception Oculi’s axis has been Australia, its ostensible home. As well as its physical base, Australia has been the place its members have felt compelled – even obligated – to explore most thoroughly.

Increasingly however, in both the physical and digital world, how we once defined home is being challenged like never before. As globalisation and even the effects of global warming remark physical and abstract borders arbitrarily, the importance of finding a concept of home has never been more fundamental.

Oculi: Home doesn’t seek to answer the question; “what is home?” but merely to offer a collective interpretation of home as an idea. From a structure of four walls and a roof as home might most commonly be recognised, to the symbols that define and those that evoke. 

– Oculi photographer Andrew Quilty

About the Exhibition / Book making process:

“Photographers spend their careers making pictures, editing pictures and sequencing pictures in an effort to ensure the most impactful connection with their intended audience.  So, what would happen if the audience is allowed to make these decisions for photographers? How would this change a story? New stories would surely emerge, ensuring emotion, drama and photographic intrigue as it unfolded in real-time with real-world audience driven decisions.”

– Daniel Milnor, Blurb USA

‘Women Documenting’ is a seminar that will highlight the work of some of Australia’s and the world’s most innovative female documentary photographers.

The event including photographers Raphaela Rosella (Australia) of Oculi, Tamara Dean (Australia) [...]]]> Straight from the Vivid website and an official part of the 2013 Reportage Festival Program.

‘Women Documenting’ is a seminar that will highlight the work of some of Australia’s and the world’s most innovative female documentary photographers.

The event including photographers Raphaela Rosella (Australia) of Oculi, Tamara Dean (Australia) of Olsen Irwin Gallery, Lee Grant (Australia) of Oculi and international guest, award winning photographer Paula Bronstein (USA) will investigate the importance of women based in the field, it will also investigate the challenges that they face in diverse environments within documentary photography, such as conflict areas amongst others.

This seminar will involve intensive discussions regarding the challenges, changes and experiences of women in the field of photojournalism and documentary photography and their role and presence in the history of the genre.

The photographers will present their work and open discussions about their experiences in the field.

More guests to be announced.

Reportage Festival

May 25 – June 13, 2013

www.reportage.com.au

www.facebook.com/reportagefestival

www.twitter.com/reportagesydney

Oculi photographer David Maurice Smith’s ongoing project “Living in the Shadow’s”  exploring the Aboroiginal community of Wilcannia, NSW has been featured on the CNN homepage and the popular CNN photos blog, bringing global attention to the contemporary struggles faced by Aboriginal Australians.

On a recent trip to New [...]]]>

Oculi photographer David Maurice Smith’s ongoing project “Living in the Shadow’s”  exploring the Aboroiginal community of Wilcannia, NSW has been featured on the CNN homepage and the popular CNN photos blog, bringing global attention to the contemporary struggles faced by Aboriginal Australians.

On a recent trip to New York, Smith met with former Newsweek Magazine Photo Editor and current Director of Photography of CNN Simon Barnett. Barnett was immediately interested in the work, citing a lack of exposure to the conditions faced by Aboriginal people in Australia and the quality of the Smith’s imagery as reasons for showcasing the work on the popular CNN site.

A link to the post can be seen here.