#29 What’s Next? Winter 2011/2012 €17,50 Independent From Here On(line) Curating the Space Magazines Next Generation Technology Matters Please enjoy this preview of our latest issue. We encourage you to visit our shop and purchase or subscribe to the magazine to get the full experience. Independent From Here On(line) Curating the Space Next Generation Technology Matters and more... foam magazine # 29 what's next? 4 Ten years ago What’s next? What’s In December 2001, a new photography next after I have finished museum opened its doors in Amsterdam – Foam was born. At the same time, a new what I am doing right photography magazine was launched: Foam Magazine started out as a catalogue now? What’s next for me accompanying the first exhibition, but tomorrow, at the begin- immediately became an independent platform for photography. This year marks ning of a brand new the tenth anniversary of both Foam and Foam Magazine – a memorable event that day? What’s next for you, deserves to be celebrated. However, just for us? Promises, expec- looking back and congratulating ourselves on what has been achieved over the tations, hopes and ideas past decade doesn’t fit the mindset that is characteristic of our staff. Our curiosity about what is in the about new developments is simply stronger pipeline are often very than our desire to look back. And so the What’s Next? theme arose naturally for our influential on the way we jubilee year. think, feel or behave. The fact that we found this a fitting theme to reaffirm our ten-year anniversary What’s next? It’s a simple indicates a validation of the current question that can be position of photography. In recent years, introduction the digitalization of the medium brought asked at any given about fundamental changes that have redetermined our entire visual culture, moment. A simple utterly transforming what we consider to be question, but so hard to a photo, the way a photographer organizes his or her professional practice, how photo answer. Because who editors work and how countless amateurs make, distribute and share photos. For knows what will be next? Foam, another significant issue was the Who dares to look into way a photographic institution such as ours functions: how should a photography the crystal ball and tell museum operate within a rapidly changing visual culture that has called into question us what the future might classic museum duties such as collecting, bring. It’s a difficult conserving and presenting? How does an organization remain relevant and question, but a truly significant? An investigation into the future of photography is inescapably also an fascinating one. It’s a investigation into our own future. What’s question that Foam has Next for Foam? asked for the past year Regular readers of Foam Magazine will already be acquainted with the investi- in an effort to define the gation that we started at the beginning of this year in a series of special supplements. next step for photo- In these supplements, a number of experts graphy, photographers from the photographic community present- ed their vision concerning What’s Next?. and a photography Leading photographers, researchers and curators were given space to express their museum. It’s a question ideas on the future of photography. The asked with good reason. results were often surprising; they varied from reflective articles and provocative position statements to intriguing visual contributions. The method used to create 5 these What’s Next? supplements gave What’s Next? in Arles shape to our year of investigation. Foam This issue carries also accounts of on its own has neither the ambition nor the conversations that took place every day pretention to answer questions concerning in our What’s Next? project space in the the future of photography. To try to obtain first week of the prestigious photography answers we seek the opinions of experts festival Les Recontres d’Arles in the south from all parts of the cultural sector, offering of France. Foam created a specially them pages in the supplements, engaging designed project room which functioned them in discussions at special meetings and as an exhibition space, meeting room and inviting them to make a contribution to the discussion centre, as well as artists’ studio What’s Next? website. space. A major component of our presence in Arles was the cooperation between two Foam strives to offer something for famed art academies: the Gerrit Rietveld everyone interested in photography, from Academie in Amsterdam and the École professionals to amateurs. Conversely, we Nationale Supérieure de la Photographie are interested in everyone’s opinion on in Arles. We believe it is essential in an the question of how the medium can best investigation into the future of photography develop itself and which aspects are most to give a voice to those who will soon be a relevant. To offer our visitors and readers decisive part of that future – those currently opportunities to contribute to the discussion studying photography. Students from both we launched the project website at the academies made concerted efforts to create start of the celebration of our tenth year. work together ‘in situ’, often surrounded Anyone interested, can react to the themes by visitors, and produced a daily zine in and comment on specific questions and which they responded to both influential positions. The site has seen a lot of traffic photographic themes and the festival which since its launch. they had suddenly become part of. These students again emerge in this magazine, in For Foam the value of our tenth anniversary the section: ‘Next Generation’. 29 what's next? project is primarily the opportunity to engage in discussions with all those who It would however be inaccurate to consider can be conceived as representing the this What’s Next? issue of Foam Magazine photographic community, to raise key as a conclusion or a full account of all points and to pose critical questions. Where the activities undertaken throughout this do we stand, what developments have we anniversary year. A portion of its contents witnessed, where is it all leading? It is the can of course be traced to interviews, discussion that determines the significance discussions and conversations which took and the strength of the project, more than place in the last twelve months. But, the any answers that arise. The journey is more great majority of the content has been important than the destination. specifically created for this issue by a large array of contributors, making this issue a Expert meeting unique and independent contribution to the One important moment this year was the ongoing investigation, just as you would foam magazine # meeting of experts we organized in March in expect from our editors. The content has our museum in Amsterdam. Fifteen curators, been organised into chapters that touch photographers, researchers, trend-watchers, on themes the editors feel add up to a editors and bloggers from all over the fascinating, well-balanced magazine that is world presented their vision of the future of just what our readers look for. photography to a room full of professionals from the Dutch cultural sector. In between Curating the Future the individual presentations, the company During the process of compiling this special gathered in small groups to discuss subjects issue, the editors repeatedly realised that such as the value of copyright, authorship, filters are extremely important and are education, the future of magazines and becoming more significant all the time tablet computers, internet art, museum to distinguish value and meaning within architecture and the latest technological the profusion of information that we developments. The meeting set the tone and receive daily in a great variety of ways. direction for the discussion that has been This also explains the overall title Curating going on for a year now. Some of these the Future: each of us is called upon to discussions are covered in this What’s Next? be our own filter or curator. But because issue of Foam Magazine. artists, writers, editors and curators have 6 already established a filtering view of their latest visual technology present insights environment, they can offer us a reference into the subject matter and themes they point in our own selection processes. work with daily. Six portfolios In the section ‘Curating the Space’ is ample This issue also showcases six different attention for an exhibition taking place portfolios with exceptional work by Lieko in our own museum in Amsterdam during Shiga, Jordan Tate, Andrew Best, Paulien the month of November. As part of the Oltheten, Hasan & Husein Essop and Cia search for our own future, Foam invited de Foto. To make our selection, we asked four guest curators to realise four radical curators and editors to propose each five exhibition proposals, each of them based emerging photographers or artists involved on a clear viewpoint that differs sharply in photography on their continent. The panel from the rest. Alison Nordström (George included: Anne Marsh who has recently Eastman House, Rochester) is responsible published her book on contemporary for a presentation which focuses on Australian photography, Eder Chiodetto, ‘photography as object’, and Jefferson based in Brazil as curator and lecturer, Hack (Dazed&Confused, London) compiled Japanese photography critic and curator a presentation based on the concept of Mariko Takeuchi, Cape Town-based journalist ‘photography as pure image’. Erik Kessels and writer Sean O’Toole and Lesley Martin, (independent collector/curator, creative publisher of Aperture Foundation’s book director of KesselsKramer, Amsterdam) programme in New York. From their lists translated his viewpoint ‘photography in we chose one representative from each abundance’ into a presentation that is both continent and selected an artist from Europe.