Contact
Lomographic Society Internationalwww.lomography.com
Hollergasse 41
A-1150 Vienna
Tel.: +43-1-899 44 0
Fax:+43-1-899 44 22
Mail: congress@lomography.com
Monday
The first day of the week defined what was going to be the frame of the story line of the week to follow. It all started with a tough night where a great bunch of Lomographers helped the Lomography Design team to build up the LomoWorldWall . Along with hundreds of visitors the congressionals gathered for the grand opening ceremony at Trafalgar Square the next morning. Under serious clouds and stubborn sunrays the wall dispersed itself in full glory. The ceremony was crowned with speeches of the Lomography Heads and the supporters of the project, such as Ben Evans, director of the London Design Festival, Julie LOMAX (Visual Arts director at the Arts Council) and Gerald Matt’s (director of Kunsthalle Wien) ‘95 Theses of Lomography and analogue Photography’ . At night the first party was held under the patronage of the Lady Austrian Ambassadeur at her splendid embassy house just to be continued with the first LomoClubCrawling lead by jet-lagged Cat.
Videos
Lomo Green Shoot
Sunday evening 1.30am my mobile rings - Amira is calling from the lomo wall – OK so we'd just broken from a meeting and the communications team were making their way home to get some rest – ''the wall needs some help '' she declared ! We agree that the Green Shoots workshop will also include a unique first hand lomo wall building experience and the group will travel to Trafalgar square and help with the set up ! Wow this is a great opportunity for all ... I mean when do you in life get a change to be directly involved and get your hands dirty ?!
The group I met in the bowling lanes around 10am and we took a tube directly; followed by a small walk to the square - the wall was ready & waiting for us to apply some finishing touches to this epic build. Hammers, nails and whatever else we needed to accomplish this task– the group enthusiastically set about working – big smiles all round ! I must mention Matty; he was assisting me with the group and what a star he proved to be this whole week ! A true diamond hats off to you sir !
Waterloo Sunset
Lomo after Midnight
Tuesday
Those that made it home the night before started the second day of the week with the first heavy workshopping and challenging. Gerald Matt made the start with his LomoTalk on the making of a good exhibition. The first “Build your LomoWall Session” was lead by Helen Errington and Maya Newman. The last arrivals were introduced to the congress crowd at the LomoDinner in Soho.
The Making of a Good Exhibition
Just one day after opening the grand LomoWall exhibition on Trafalgar Square and presenting his 95 Theses on Lomography, museum director and Lomography-veteran Gerald Matt held a presentation on how to make a good exhibition. The approx. 50 hearers in the Austrian Cultural Forum London got a direct insight into the work of Herr Matt. How do I manage a cultural institution? How to lead a museum of contemporary art? How do I select artists and works for coming exhibitions? And how do I show new and highly revolutionary art (that the masses are probably not that crazy about) and pay my employees at the same time? Answers to that and much more were disclosed by the charismatic Viennese. A stream of questions followed where we learned that a museums director who would have time to look at the works of an unknown artist would actually be a bad museums director. Nevertheless, a Lomographer who wants to exhibit his works simply needs to be strong headed, self-conscious, ceaselessly annoying and obstinate and he'll definitely make his way! The LomoTalk ended after 2 ½ hours and many a Lomographer left the building with deep insights into cultural management and some great visions for the future.
Lomo Green Shoot
10 am meet at HMS President *rubs eyes – the group of lomographers hooked up all bright eyed and bushy tailed to spend some group time walking, talking & shooting lomo's along the embankment. The sun was out and it really was a glorious day we totally lucked in ! Ben & Matty were available both assistants extraordinaire always helpful, smiling and tip top guys !
To continue ... we picked up 'Sandra' along the way – now Sandra needed some knickers (!) so we bought her a pair of union jack ones and headed over the bridge to grab some lunch. Sandra declined lunch but hey ho the rest of us tucked right in ... we gathered up Trevor en route and spent an extremely pleasant couple of hours doing what we all love most of all – shooting lomo !
OK I am going to fess up here - Sandra was a long pole with streamers & ribbons hanging from her neck – she looked quite the girl about town – we found her on our journey & decided she needed a day trip out bless her. Matty carefully carried her ;) She stole the show but later disappeared into the wild blue yonder ... never to be seen again. Pppfffttttt some people just so fussy !
Human Scavenger Hunt
Hardcore Lomographer and St.Petersburg-girl-in-London Julia Svetlova, a.k.a neja, led this workshop on whose enigmatic title she commented that "I actually don't know what it means". But that didn't matter at all, as the subtitle "What is it like to be a bat?" gives us already much more information what this workshop was all about. Participants had to climb walls, rob on the floor, be blind, drunk, small, big, curious, bored - and Lomograph at the same time! The whole workshop was a role-playing exercise with different characters and cameras and took place directly on and around Trafalgar Square. It became obvious on how different the Lomographic results become depending on the angle, physics, mood, vision and movement of the Lomographer. The outcome":" bruised knees, amused spectators, enlightened playful participants and excellent Lomographs that were then exhibited on the ever growing LomoWall.'
Brick Walls
Herr Adam Scott, London-based photographer and Lomography Photo Editor, kept things simple and straight and took the Lomographers to Brick Walls. Why the hell Brick walls? "Brick walls are great" he says. "if you're doing a fashion shoot, put the girl against the wall and tell her to look sexy - the wall will do the rest". Given the fact of the miraculous power of Brick walls, there's nothing left to say than that the horde of Lomographers took their cameras and attacked the next best brick wall. And as there are many of these walls in London, there was much to do":" feet on brick walls, heads on brick walls, headstands on brick walls, brick walls on brick walls etc. "I would never have thought that these mundane objects can give me such joy and pleasure" said one Lomographer and kindly asked if Brick walls are on sale in the Lomography Online shop. Everyone should have one at home! The results of this genuine and eccentric workshop were then presented on the ever growing LomoWall at Trafalgar Square.
LomoSocial
Real Time Stories
Urban Symbols
Lomo Dinner
The Soho-place IMLI at Wardour Street was the first dinner spot where the horde of Lomographers fell in and which they completely ate out. A modern place, glass doors and design tables were guaranteed accompanied by soulful Indian cuisine served on little plates and in different courses. After the busy hustle and bustle of the first two days at the congress, this cosy sit-in was a welcome occasion to cool down, drink a few glasses of wine, eat a samosa or two and chat and exchange with fellow Lomographers.
Wednesday
The toughest lot met up with Karen Hall at 5AM for the Smithfield’s market challenge in the early morning. Igor Bararon invited to his Panorama Philosophies and Edward Booth-Clibborn soothed the curious Lomographers with his LomoTalk on how to publish a good book, while Linda guided a calming boat tour through the canals of London. A dinner at the elegant ‘Criterion’ was followed by Riksha Tours to Chinatown from the restless ones.
Morning Feast
Oh well, if the workshop starts at 5AM I actually have to get up at 4AM" a Lomographer pondered the night before in the Bloomsbury bowling lanes, asking herself if she should rather go to bed or party the night through up to the "Morning Feast" at 5AM. "Screw it, let's do it" a reasonable troupe of approx. 20 Lomographers said to themselves and punctually showed up at 5 in the morning in front of the Royal National Hotel. What is it that keeps them standing there at this time of the day? First of all a few beers and mostly no sleep, and secondly and most of all the lust for meat! The one and only direction of the Morning Feast workshop was to head straight to the Smithfield meat market - a market over 800 years old and known as the lifeblood (more blood than life) of the City of London. What a feast and what a feast for the Lomographic eye! Red, red, red everywhere. Heads, feet, legs and toes, dangling from the endless ropes of one butcher beside the other. The meat market was a truly unique subject to Lomograph and got the Lomographers - especially the vegetarians among them - vividly through the night, or rather morning. An English breakfast in the Royal National Hotel followed and the day was kicked off perfectly!
Lomography & Advertisement
You name it Pasquale Caprile has shot it for an ad campaign. Pasquale's string of clients stretches out the door and around the corner. However, the reason his Lomo Talk was full on both days was because of the impressive way he has brought Lomographic influences into his work and expanded the traditional boundaries of still - life commercial photography. It was amazing to see, after his initial collision with Lomography in 1995, how he has constantly experimented with techniques and form in his work. Pasquale founded one of the first Lomography Embassies in Madrid and his enthusiasm is still infectious. After his Lomo Talk everyone was inspired by the challenge to create their own ad campaign using only Lomo tools and a single film!
Lomo Green Shoot
10am the bowling alley a 5 minute trot from the hotel – having left the 'office' at the Royal National hotel – which lets face this head on, right here, right now - ready ? OK the 'office' was in fact *blinks a small cupboard, yes I mean small ! You could hardly swing a hamster in there ! – This still makes me laugh my head off ! When I first saw it I thought erm there must have been some mistake ! But NO ... hahahahahahahaha ! HAHAHAHA – how we laughed. Ok to continue ...
I made my way in a hurry - I confess I was late – I had a meeting run over ack sorry guys ! I arrived to see that Matty was in control and had everyone bowling and having some fun ! We hung out chilled and shot some lomo's. It very was cool & relaxed, great location ! Super to finally put some names to faces ! Green shoots was set up & the aim was to introduce new lomographers to the ways of lomo – but none of the group was 'new' so the group settled into asking a few film, camera and the odd technical question – it's all good
Broaden your Horizon
What is it that makes the Horizon-view unique? What does this 120 degrees moving lens give us as "extra" in our images? And when should we use the Horizon and when should we not? Igor Bararon, a Vienna-based filmmaker and camera-document-everything-anywhere-anytime aficionado, shared his passion and knowledge on the Horizon-camera and described his love for the "wider" view of things. The Horizon camera for him is an ultimate communication tool and the apparatus with which he documents his life, his experiences, his family and his impressions. "Because of its swing lens, this camera is somehow more vivid, more vibrating and living than other cameras. She just sees and records more" he explains. The presentation and discussion were followed by an extensive Horizon-shootout by the River Thames, executed by about 20 Lomographers and 12 swinging Horizon cameras.
Graffiti Halls of Fame
How to publish a Good Book
Edward Booth-Clibborn is a legend in book publishing. Known for his inerrable taste, his endless curiosity, strong discipline and moreover for his passion of publishing groundbreaking books on art and culture, Mr. Booth-Clibborn gave a lecture on his work and visions in the Austrian Cultural Forum London. In brief but meaningful words he presented his works, described the process of creating a book and his guidelines of "pace, pitch and pause." Books that were released by Booth-Clibborn editions feature artists such as Damien Hirst, the Jan family and Kylie Minogue and enjoy worldwide reputation. Besides this, Herr Booth-Clibborn also published the currently re-printed "Don't think, just shoot" book on Lomography. Needless to say that this man has a lot to tell and that the lecture gave us a profound insight into the work and principles of a world-renowned book publisher.
Calming Waters
Lomo Dinner
Chandeliers, handbags and glad-rags were the order of the day as the Lomo Congress descended on the plush Criterion restaurant, in Piccadilly on Wednesday night. The eatery, which is now owned by celebrity chef Marco Pierre White, was established in 1870. Setting foot inside the Criterion is like stepping into a decadent past. The stunning mosaics, gold ceilings, marble pillars and silk lanterns were a great backdrop for good company and delicious food. The venue, which was once a meeting place for Suffragettes, became the Lomo living room for the evening. The guys form the Italian embassy did some of their own decorating by offering everyone self-designed LOMO transfer tattoos!
Thursday
With Thursday morning, the last Lomography experts arrived from their world-wide locations and the hard-core Lomography workshops were on schedule. After an endless city exploration tour by Mukul Patel and Alex Graham’s mysterious walk, Mike Kuhle allowed another sleepless night with the second Lomo after Midnight challenge of the week.
Videos
Lomo Green Shoot
Chronicles of the LCA Saga
Articulated Architecture
Holga Coup
The Holga Coup workshop by Lomography-specialistos Mr. Peter Boesch and Mandi Steininger took place at our favourite venue; the Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes. Workshop-leader Hr.Boesch was correctly dressed in a white coat and provided the somewhat 30 Lomographers with crucial information about the Holga-cameras. By kicking off an illustrious homemade powerpoint presentation, the teacher presented major Holga-techniques such as Multiple exposures, Double exposures, Real Fake Panorama's and so on. Teacher Hr.Boesch was also spicing up his enthralling speech with two or three funny jokes to loosen up the tension of the workshop's participants who were eager to go out shooting. Modifications expert Mandi was later on explaining basic modifications and humbly declared of "having nothing prepared" whilst screwing off the lens of his cow-skinned Holga. At occasion, the first official LomoSect was founded. Members worship their God either by summing "ASA" or "ISO", according to their persuasion. Recently, a Russian-orthodox direction also developed and is said to use the parole of "GOST". After the informatory introduction to the Holga-camera and the secrets-revealing modification tips, the Holga-shooters cruised the streets of London and presented the outcome of their shooting
The Unknown Known
Mr. Alex Graham, BBC film-maker and companion of many thrilling Lomo-adventures, started his CityChallenge at the HMS President ship by the river Thames. The approx. 30 participants were all equipped with the usual plethora of Lomographic cameras and took off the tour to cross the bridge and gaze at the Tate Modern gallery. The walk, enlightened by rare and cosy afternoon sunshine, was then continued by a short side trip into Tate Modern, a quick look on Globe theatre, a genteel promenade by the Bankside and another crossing of the River Thames via the Southwark Bridge. The whole trip was accompanied by the shrewd comments of London-expert Alex, who revealed quite some interesting facts and hot gossip about the metropolis. This truly Lomographic trip - the weather was great, the light beautiful and many rolls of film were shot - naturally ended in the pub, where the exhausted but satisfied Lomographers chilled some beers.
Lomo Dinner
After a day rammed with fantastic events including Lomo Green Shooting, The Chronicles of the LC-A Saga, Articulated Architecture, the Holga Coup and the Unknown Known…everyone was starving! There was no better place to be than the National Gallery restaurant for the tasty grub and relaxed atmosphere where everyone could chat about the day. Another highlight of the evening was the arrival of the youngest World Congress member, 4-year-old Marguegue, from Switzerland, who had taken time out of her busy primary school schedule to attend! Strangely, those who were 'too tired' to go to the Lomo After Dark challenge were later spotted mysteriously propping up the bar at the Bowling Lanes.
Lomo after Midnight
Following our tasty meal at the National Gallery, I was honored to lead a pack of approximately 30 Lomographers on a midnight photographic safari. With a nod to Judas Priest's "Living After Midnight," our goal was to learn the bread n' butter of nighttime street photography techniques and attract a wide range of bemused looks from London's numerous drunken bystanders. Ben from Newcastle lent his invaluable assistance to our tour and navigated a fun route from Russell Square to Soho. Walking through avenues & alleyways, we learned the art of shooting long exposures without flash, with flash, with panning, with moving objects, with crazy-ass jumping in the air, with Lomo's, with Diana's, with Fisheye 2's, and with Horizons. Old-masters and green-horns alike were able to take a few kernels of new knowledge from the walk. We finished out the evening at a late-night techno diner which served a surprisingly good hamburger.
Friday
Prime events of the congress included Pasquale Caprile’s workshop on Lomography and Advertisement and Mike Kuhle’s revelations of the new queen of Lomography cameras, the Diana+. Martin Reinhart’s took us to a trip beyond the earth and Manu Luksch opened the lomographic eyes for the big brother watching. Following all the little parties of the first days, the big Friday night party kicked off in the all time favorite Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes that had already been the hub of the sleepless, and featured G.Rizo and the Karaoke addicted Lomographers.
Videos
Lomo Green Shoot
10am the bowling alley. Fish my friend from Canada was helping out today ! Woot cheers for that girl ! – We hooked up with the lomo congress guys and again found out that it was not a group new to lomography ! We elected to take a bus trip to Trafalgar square so we could get another view of London other than be crammed in a sweat box they call 'the tube' We happily chatted about all things lomo – and the ways of the Diana amongst other lomographic topics. At the square 3 more joined in and were given a full on fisheye experience and then with smiles set off to explore the magic of the lomo wall ! I must admit by now I was flagging somewhat and most of this day was a bit of a blur – a great blur – but a blur all the same ! The group wandered about getting lost in the many lomo moments. We grabbed lunch – talked to the throng surrounding the info point and spent a very pleasant afternoon making memories.
I would like to thank all those who helped out & volunteered their time at the congress; we could not have done this without you! Thanks guys !
Lomography & Advertisement
You name it Pasquale Caprile has shot it for an ad campaign. Pasquale's string of clients stretches out the door and around the corner. However, the reason his Lomo Talk was full on both days was because of the impressive way he has brought Lomographic influences into his work and expanded the traditional boundaries of still-life commercial photography. It was amazing to see, after his initial collision with Lomography in 1995, how he has constantly experimented with techniques and form in his work. Pasquale founded one of the first Lomography Embassies in Madrid and his enthusiasm is still infectious. After his Lomo Talk everyone was inspired by the challenge to create their own ad campaign using only Lomo tools and a single film!
The Diana Dialogue
Given the sheer number of attendants (about 60!), I staged the Diana Dialogues in the small movie theater of Bloomsbury Lanes. This charming venue had been used to show "Rock and Roll High School" just the night before, and this day was no less rocking. Starting from the birth of the original Diana camera in the 1960's, I detailed the Diana's history, cult significance, artistic qualities, the development of the Diana+, the concept of "Diana Vignettes," the most crucial Diana+ techniques, and the Diana+'s grand future in the world of Lomography. The crowd was great, and offered quite a few solid questions and discussion points. Following the presentation, we meandered down to Russell Square park and practiced several of the Diana techniques - especially pinhole shots - with a hands-on photo expedition.
Lomography & Eternity
Vienna-based Martin Reinhart, curator of the Technical Museum in Vienna and executive director of the renowned Westlicht Photographica Auction, held an interesting speech on our present world, its technical aspects, images and its relation towards eternity. How can we store our present world and our vision of it - our Lomographs - forever and bestow it to future generations? What does analogue actually mean in terms of storage, reality and eternity? Martin's presentation gave the hearers an interesting insight into the contemporary discussion of depicting our world to present it to extraterrestrial beings or future generations in 2000 years. But as if this wouldn't already be a bold adventure, Herr Reinhart even took it a step further":" he presented his idea of the Lomo-Space-Project, a mission to fire a bunch of Lomographic pictures to outer space and present our lovely earth in the most lively and colourful way possible! We can't wait to get more into this project and remain stunned and overwhelmed - like the whole bunch of listeners of this lecture - until the next step of this mission comes along.
Big Brother City
There aren't many corners of London that escape the eye in the sky. From the moment Londoners step out of the house a network of over 10,500 cameras observes them. In Britain there are 4.2 million CCTV installed by the government alone. Over 5 years, artist-activist & film-maker Manu Luksch abused the CCTV web to make her science-fiction flick, Faceless. The Data Protection Act enables any person to gain access to information held about them, which includes film footage. However, to protect the privacy of others caught on camera, EU law demands their faces to be scrubbed out of the scenes; hence the film's title, Faceless. During her tour through the backstreets of Shoreditch and into the heart of the City, Manu pointed out some of the hidden cameras she had used while making her film. Manu also handed out copies of The CCTV Film-Maker's Manifesto, which was created when interest in using surveillance as a medium for film-making started to take-off. During the Big Brother City Challenge, Lomographers had the chance to flip their role from 'data subject' into 'surveillance object, by shooting right back at the cameras. There was a distinct eeriness in realising the extent you are under surveillance in London. After a while, the air seemed to be filled with static. In reality, the effectiveness of CCTV is in doubt, as 80% of crimes committed in London remain unsolved. Manu pointed out that simply wearing Hoodie makes a person unidentifiable. Meanwhile, the most observed city is left wondering whether the £200 million the British Government has spent on creating the world's most extensive surveillance network could have been better spent.
Lomo Dinner
Lomo Party
It was Friday night in London when the Lomo World Congress' participants finished a whole week of heavy lomographing all around the city. It all started off when the Lomographers invaded the Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes around 7pm and kindly disturbed the LomoWall-builders that had their session over there. Soon, tacos with cheese and hot dogs were served by energetic Esther and her crew from the Bowling Lanes that filled the empty stomachs of the hungry bunch. Vegans were on diet that day, zorry! As soon as the food was there, the beer was served as well. Everyone got drink coupons for free bottles of Japanese Asahi beer. Some attachés of the congress' organisation team even got more than one free-ticket, which made them highly popular as the evening progressed. However, at the end of the party the waiters wouldn't accept these coupons anymore much to the dismay of the author of these lines. Anyway, the party was going on and the LomoKaraokeBox was soon full with people. Led by youth Karaoke champion, Mike Kuhle, the box was crammed with at least 20 people crying their hearts out to hits from Vanilla Ice, the Spice Girls, some Britpop throw-ins such as Pulp and Blur and many other all-time favourites that no one is able to recall in detail today. Crooners, ranging from "Our house in the middle of a street" to the infamous "We built this city on rock and roll" (once voted for the worst song of all times), were all warmly welcomed by the crowd. It absolutely rocked. The heavy singing action was then followed by a midnight concert by G.rizo, the fabulous disco queen from New York, and respectively Vienna. Ihu Anyanwu, as is the artist's real name, once worked for Lomography in the New York office and never missed a single occasion to perform for the insane bunch of Lomographers. Even though her job on Friday night was not an easy one, as she performed after 2 rock bands, she got the people partying and dancing until the very end. The whole gig was supported by Lomography and there were live visuals by VJ Philipp. G.rizo's tempting mix of house and funk music also inspired Hong Kong hardcore Lomographer, Cat Ong, to the idea of holding a Lomography dancing workshop at the next congress. We'll definitely come back to that, Cat! The party continued with the crowd basically being centred around three spots":" the small Smokers courtyard, the bar and once again the karaoke box. The smokers, the drinkers, the singers, what more is there to say about the favourite addictions of Lomographers. At around 3am we were all thrown out of the Lanes (with or without jackets) and the party continued in several rooms of the Royal National Hotel nearby. Some Karaoke-participants are reported to have sung for 6 hours non-stop and lost their voice until this very day. For the next congress I propose a live band to sing Karaoke along with. And a whirlpool equiped with microphones....And cabs with microphones! Any other suggestions?
Saturday
Saturday brought, apart from some first class LomoTalks (like Lora Power’s memory encounter) and more fabulous City Challenges, some last gatherings: the closing ceremony for the gloomy deconstruction of the LomoWorldWall on Trafalgar Square and the Gala Dinner and Party on the beautiful HMS President boat that had housed several workshops during the week.
Pinhole Photography
Through the Memory Album
Miraculous Surprise CC (Carolyn instead of Big Brother)
A last minute edition to the schedule! This City Challenge asked Lomographers to put on a brave face and be taken into the unknown. London's Soho was the mystery destination. Landing in Covent Garden on a Saturday afternoon is a bit like finding yourself in the middle of an anthill. The old market piazza and cobbled streets become a sea of tourists snapping away in to oblivion. The question put to everyone was "Is it possible to get something out of visiting a landmark on the tourist trail, like Covent Garden…other than saying 'I was there once'?" Soho has many faces; the tourist hub of Covent Garden, Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square, the antique book shops on Charing Cross Road, the bright sights of China Town, the oh-so hip media haunts, and the a vibrant gay scene and nightlife centred around Old Compton Street.... Soho can seem to be two different worlds. The challenge was to try to get an authentic feel for this diverse quarter in London. It's amazing how the people flow like boats on a canal in certain streets while the roads parallel to them are almost deserted. Sometimes, you are lucky to spot the odd Londoner and his dog.
Calming Waters
Lomo Dinner
Big Final Party
Seeing the largest ever Lomo wall being taken down from its home at Trafalgar Square was a bit of a downer. So throwing the farewell party on the HMS President was a stroke of genius! Everybody knows it is impossible to be down-in-the-mouth at a boat party! True, you can be a bit seasick, but definitely not depressed! The HMS President has been moored just downstream from Tower Bridge for the past 80 years, and has no doubt seen the city go through lots of changes. Standing on the deck (beer in hand), and looking out at the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, the Millennium Wheel, the Oxo Building and St Paul's Cathedral, you get a sense of the different sides of this grand old city. After all that gazing out to sea it was time to get back to the party. Farewell speeches and thanks from Lomo founders, Amira and Matthias, kicked off the night and plans for another World Congress in 2 years were revealed. The music for the night was courtesy of DJ Peter, Handsome Hank and Mike Kuhle. Some serious movers and shakers ripped up the dancefloor to the backdrop of LomoVisuals. All this and a huge chocolate LC-A cake! The after party crew moved on to popular gay hang-out, Heaven, in Soho. The least said about that the better….!
