A common strategy in mobile photography workshops is to present tools and systems within smartphones and various social media apps and teach effective methods for creating content and disseminating it widely. This workshop goes beyond that obvious method and encourages participants to reflect on the idea of social media landscape in a more critical fashion.

Sumit Dayal, the founder of India Photo Project and Nepal Photo Project, is one of the most engaged and active social media influencers today. A recent experiment saw him disconnect from social media for a period of a few months, which allowed him to consider it from a fresh and critical lens. As a result, he believes that the social media space, rather than being objectively documentary in nature, is, in fact, a construct that presents reality in a specifically and pointedly curated fashion – a Hyper Reality.

The workshop invites participants to deconstruct this Hyper-Reality and understand the different ways in which the social media space is constructed. The workshop will consider the following topics and questions, which it believes are more pertinent than merely talking about strategies to increase followers.

  • The compulsion to see what strangers are posting – where does this need come from?
  • Staring into screens: The creation of an alternate reality and the emergence of experiential avoidance.
  • Excess flow of information – What do we do with it? How is it useful to us? How do we find meaning in the chaos?
  • How do we find balance in the landscape of Hyper Realism?
  • The influence of social media feed on concepts of identity and self worth for younger creators on platforms like IG and Snapchat – If you’re not your feed then who are you? What’s your legacy? What if the feed goes off?
  • What are the current forces in play that are reshaping the visual economy?

WHO SHOULD APPLY?

Social media influencers and creative image makers active in social media platforms.

WORKSHOP DETAILS

Dates and times:
31 Oct – 1 Nov: 10 AM – 2 PM
Workshop venue: Yala Maya Kendra, Patan Dhoka
Language: English
Max. number of participants:15

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

To apply, please send:

to workshops@photoktm.com. The subject of your email should be the title of the workshop. If attachments exceed 10 MB in size, please send them via WeTransfer.

WORKSHOP FEE

USD 100
NRs 3,000 + 13% VAT for Nepali citizens

APPLICATIONS ARE CLOSED

By applying for a workshop, we expect you to agree to the festival’s code of conduct.