An impressive panel of judges has been announced, local merchants have stepped up with a plethora of prizes, and entries are starting to come in for the 2015 version of Photopia.
The May 28 deadline for entries is fast approaching for the digital photo exhibition, held June 6 in the Courtenay Library, part of Elevate Arts Festival.
Photopia features the submitted images displayed on high-definition big-screen televisions on every side of the room.
“Especially with the new 4k screens included this year, this show will be a sensory experience quite unlike seeing photo prints hanging on a wall,” says co-ordinator Jamie Bowman.
The screens are supplied this year by McKays Electronic Experts and Best Buy.
More than $800 in gift-certificate prizes have been donated by local merchant sponsors, including $200 from Affordable Framing, $215 in poster-size printings from Sure Copy Courtenay, $200 from Staples, $100 plus a canvas-wrap printing from London Drugs, $50 from Best Buy and image mounting from Backdoor Gallery and Studio.
“The prizes have doubled this year because we’ve added a youth section for each of the categories,” said Bowman. “Both Elevate and the Arts Council recognize how much youth can contribute. We focus on developing that potential.”
The head of North Island College’s fine arts department, Linda Perron and professional photographers Gordon Ross and Lisa Graham are the experts donating their time and skills to select the photos. But all suitable photos will get their screen time in the show.
“I love doing this,” says Ross. “Every year the quality and the creativity goes up.”
Ross’s photos have been featured in Sports Illustrated, The Globe & Mail, Transworld Snowboarding, and more.
He has published two books of his work, Waiting for the Sun: Journeys to Remote Places (2008) and Tattoo + You: A Photo Story of Body Ink (2012).
His shooting history spans photo-journalism, sports-action and travel to commercial, lifestyle and wedding photography. In his travels to over 90 countries, he’s documented exotic landscapes and cultures and amassed thousands of world portraits.
Lisa Graham is a past Photopia winner, chosen for her haunting images of models underwater.
Her career and an ever-deepening passion in photography began a decade ago, learning foundational photography skills at North Island College.
Since then, she has been continually improving by reading and “viewing many, many, many photographs that are much better than mine,” she says.
Linda Perron is the department chair in the NIC School of Fine Art and Design, an art educator and an artist. Her artistic practice incorporates drawing, printmaking, mixed media and photography. Her projects often explore process, narrative and image as object.
‘Reflection’ is the overall theme of Photopia 2015. The categories are Self-Reflection, Mirrors, Shadows, Opposites, Remembering and Manipulated. Youth (18 and under), will be judged separately, but with the same categories.
Up to 25 photos can be submitted by each entrant. Entry forms and submission details are available at elevatethearts.com, under the ‘Get Involved’ tab.
All images must be the submitter’s own original work and must be in .jpeg or .jpg format, at least 1920 X 1080 pixels, but preferably at least 3840 X 2160 pixels (to take advantage of 4k screen resolution).
Photopia is a Comox Valley Community Art Council project, part of the Elevate Arts Festival, which reserves the right both to refuse artwork deemed inappropriate and to use winning submissions for future, non-commercial promotion of Photopia, CVCAC and Elevate the Arts.