Mentorship Programme 2022
EDITION 2022
Archive and image review
With 40 years of experience in education in image making and theory, the École nationale supérieure de la photographie in the heart of Arles, the emblematic French city of photography, is launching its first national and international mentorship programme.
The programme is aimed at artist photographers with a professional practice, consolidated over several years, wishing to benefit from in-depth support for their artistic approach.
Starting from a review of your professional career and your artistic practice, you will be guided in giving a new direction to your creative projects, to look at them with a critical eye, to develop their implementation, and to strengthen your technical skills and your knowledge of the world of art and photography.
This individual and group work is led by Gilles Saussier, artist photographer and teacher at the ENSP, with the support of various guests throughout the programme. You can see the video presentation here.
This first edition, which will be held in French and English from the 21st of February to the 29th of April 2022, will be punctuated by two Masterclasses led respectively by Susan Meiselas (tbc) and Pierre Leguillon.
The theme of the 2022 Mentorship programme is Archive and image review.
Throughout the mentorship you will also have access to all of the school’s equipment and activities: digital and film laboratories, computer graphics, audiovisual and editing facilities, photographic studios, the Fablab, the library (with more than 30,000 references), conferences, talks etc.
The educational objectives of the mentorship are:
- to reinforce the positioning of your personal pathway
- to improve your capacity to articulate the direction of your research and your artistic practice
- to help you structure your projects
- to strengthen your autonomy in your practice and the structuring of your workflow
- to give a professional dimension to the diffusion of your work and to experiment different methods of valorisation and use of space.
- to develop an artistic vision at the crossroads of different practices.
Over two and a half months, the mentorship combines various periods of experimentation, training, sharing and individual and collective follow-up. Some training courses are provided in French, others in English.
Two Masterclasses
Workshops over three days each, with Susan Meiselas and Pierre Leguillon including discussion and practice around their work
Three critical seminars
At regular intervals, these seminars led by Gilles Saussier support the progress of your thinking around your work and your artistic research through critical feedback, theoretical or technical references, and personalised advice.
Two thematic seminars
Led by external speakers, these seminars are an invitation to reread your photographic corpus, to deconstruct and share the challenges of your artistic practice, and to situate your work in the space.
A professional training module
You can choose to follow a professional training course geared towards the dissemination of your artistic work: The photographic book with InDesign® or The organization of an exhibition with InDesign®. These 4-day modules allow you to apply for the TOSA Digital certification on InDesign®.
Group workshops at the Fablab: rooted in research, the Fablab is a space open to all for exchange, experimentation and innovation, allowing a questioning of the image in all its complexity.
The ENSP issues a training certificate to all those who complete the programme.
Prerequisites
Candidates must :
- demonstrate a committed artistic practice, in any artistic discipline related to the image, which has already been shown in exhibitions, publications, etc.
- be autonomous in the digital processing of images
There are no restrictions related to qualifications, age or nationality.
The selection of participants will be made on the basis of the candidate’s application dossier and an interview with the programme team.
The application dossier
To be uploaded onto the ENSP admissions platform
The application dossier is made up of the following documents in French or in English:
- a letter of intent presenting your motivation and your expectations in relation to your research and/or your production and projects that could be developed during the mentorship (number of characters)
- an artistic dossier demonstrating your practice which can include audiovisual, photographic or sound content, etc. (size / number of images / format etc.)
- a CV
- copy of your ID or Passport
Selection criteria
- an appreciation of your artistic journey
- the quality of your artistic dossier
- your motivation and the relevance of the research to be considered as part of this mentorship
The cost of the programme is 3500€ (inc VAT)
The Mentorship programme does not lead to a Diploma, however it is eligible for funding for professional training for participants who have acquired training rights in France. We can offer funding advice to those in this category. Anyone who has acquired training rights in France can request partial coverage of the cost of training through their personal training account (CPF) or from their OPCO (AFDAS for photographic authors).
With the ‘Rencontres de la photographie d’Arles’ festival each summer and the presence of the École nationale supérieure de la photographie (ENSP), Arles has become an important reference for both amateur and professional photographers and image based artists.
There is a vibrant cultural and artistic life throughout the year in Arles, in which photography has an important place provided by the presence of the Luma foundation, the Van Gogh foundation, the Réattu museum, the Arles Antique museum, numerous galleries, publishing houses and bookstores, cinemas, theatres and festivals.
Arles is also distinguished by the wealth of its architectural heritage with several Roman and Romanesque monuments listed as World Heritage sites by Unesco. Situated at the opening to the Camargue, near the Alpilles and the Crau, Arles also offers access to exceptional natural parks and spaces. It is also just a short distance to the cities of Marseille, Nîmes and Avignon.
There are many accommodation options to choose from in Arles (hotels, holiday rentals, guest houses, residences, youth hostels, etc.) and the Arles tourist office offers a comprehensive list.
