Lapsus open call for photographic works

Lapsus, open call for photographic & video works

Entries by 28 February 2013.

Website: http://www.celesteprize.com/lapsus2013/

Prizes:
First Prize: Euro 1,000
Second Prize: Euro 500
Third Prize: Euro 500

Lapsus reflects on the ways in which works of art are created, especially in relation to new media, photography and video, which allow artists ever more technical and virtual perfection, at the risk of losing authenticity and uniqueness.

History of art shows us that many works were born of accidental 'mistakes' which occurred during the execution of a project, the taking of a picture or the recording of a video; such slips or lapsus' often occur without the knowledge of the author, who can use them as a point of strength in the final work.

This project also explores the idea of fate and destiny in relation to an artist and his or her artwork, dispelling the myth that a technological slip, error or failure can be determined or planned, instead elevating them to an aesthetic image that is a work of art.

The project Lapsus was born from an idea by the critic Marinella Paderni, and is a collaboration between Celeste Network and Fondazione Studio Marangoni.

Entry fee is Euro 40 per project uploaded directly online. Each project can contain up to 10 photographs and/or videos (max 10 minutes).



Theme
What role does a random accident, a 'fortunate' error, a bizarre involuntariness or the failure of an idea, have in the success of a work of art? In the age of Photoshop and digital technology, what value does an 'error' have, that unplanned mistake that escapes the consciousness of the artist as he creates his work, but enriches and decrees its success?

Lapsus investigates the positive and constructive values of an accidental photographic error, an un-sought-for error, that at the time of its occurrence decides the fate of a work or a project.
The practice of 'errata' in photography and cinema is as old as their own invention: Man Ray used the neologism Fautographie to nickname the photographic error, while Diane Arbus stated that "... is important to make bad photographs." Zoe Leonard has dedicated to this concept a recent series of photographs (Sun photographs) which look directly at the sun, an 'error' that even newcomers to photography would not have stumbled on, but explained by the American artist as an attempt to photograph a subject impossible to portray. The historian of photography Clément Chéroux has written a book that examines the history of the photographic error in the development of photography.

The project Lapsus takes into consideration all those photographic and video works in which an accident during their execution, a sudden and unintended erasure, an unexpected détournement during development of a work, or conversely, the research of an impossibility (as in the case of Zoe Leonard) lead to the success of a work of art.


Selections & Prizes
Deadline for submissions is 28 February 2013.
15 projects will be chosen by the selection panel which includes Martin Breindl, Elena Ceratti and Silvio Wolf. At the exhibition opening on 17 May 2013 the curator of Lapsus, Marinella Paderni, will choose the three winning projects and award € 2,000 prizes.