WRITING PHOTOGRAPHY WITH ZHUANG WUBIN
The practice of photography is elusive and hard to pin down. At the same time, it offers a way into the worlds of social history, popular culture and art. This makes it interesting to understand and write about photography using different approaches. In this 5-session foundation workshop, we begin with an interdisciplinary way to understand the practices of photography in Southeast Asia.
We will go through a few of the basic kinds of writing that relate to photography, including writing a profile (of a photo practitioner), a report (of an event) and a review (of a photobook or an exhibition). Combining theory and practice, this workshop is tailored for students, writers, photographers, curators, designers, editors and academics who want to explore the possibilities of writing about photography in different ways.
After four in-person sessions, participants will work on their assignment to present at the final session taking place online. Participants will receive individual feedback for their work and have access to Matca’s photobook collection for reference materials.
Workshop structure
| Structure | Program |
|---|---|
| Matca Space for Photography 14:00-17:00 Sat, 02.03 | • An interdisciplinary way of understanding photography – Part I • A tour of Matca’s photobook collection • Set the assignment |
| 14:00-17:00 Sun, 03.03 | • How to write a profile (of a photo practitioner), a report (of a photographic event) or a review (of an exhibition or a photobook) – Part I |
| 18:30-20:30 Tue, 05.03 | • An interdisciplinary way of understanding photography – Part II |
| 18:30-20:30 Wed, 06.03 | • How to write a profile (of a photo practitioner), a report (of a photographic event) or a review (of an exhibition or a photobook) – Part II |
| Google Meet 14:00-17:00 Sat, 16.03 | • Assignment review and feedback |
About the instructor
Zhuang Wubin is a writer who makes photographs, publications and exhibitions. He received his PhD by Published Work (Research–Photography) from University of Westminster, London.
Zhuang is the major grantee of Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Greater China Research Grant 2018 and a recipient of the Prince Claus Fund research grant (2010). In Singapore, Zhuang is the recipient of the National Library (NL) Digital Fellowship 2023 and the Lee Kong Chian Research Fellowship 2017 at the NL. He has been invited to research residency programmes at Institute Technology of Bandung (2013), Asia Art Archive (AAA), Hong Kong (2015), Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts, Taiwan (2017) and the Ha Bik Chuen Archive Project at AAA (2018). He is the contributing curator of the Chiang Mai Photo Festival (2015, 2017, 2020).
Published by NUS Press, Photography in Southeast Asia: A Survey (2016) is his fourth book. Zhuang has made presentations, exhibited work, curated shows, and taught classes and workshops in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan, amongst others.
