Spring Break Photography Contest

Spring Break Photography Contest

| Apr 2012 | Art and Art History, Genres, On Location, Photography, Sections |

ON LOCATION AROUND THE GLOBE

The Photographic Society at New York University Abu Dhabi invited students to submit photos taken while traveling during this year’s spring break.

Seven photos were awarded prizes:

1st Place Overall – Untitled Portrait by Jack Dickson

“I met the man on a ferry across the Dardanelles in Turkey. His face spoke a long, hard history, and I wanted to capture a moment in his life.”

2nd Place Overall – “Away” by Rock Zou (Away)

“Taken through a bus rear window on a UAE highway. Sand flying all over the place and the big truck getting farther and farther away reminds me of the most forgotten corner of my memories.”

3d Place Overall – “A Tree, A Sensation, A Hope” by Nour Radi AlGharibeh

“Downtown Amman, Jordan. The boy and the old man may see one another as reflections of the past and the future. As if set by the invisible hands of destiny, this representation of the sad truth creates a picture-perfect moment.”

Best of Animals Category – “Plow” by Bethany Kolodny

“I took this picture halfway up to a hilltop village near Pokhara, Nepal.   We stopped to take a rest and buy some water, and the man tilling his fields was nice enough to let me stand right in the way of his plow to take the picture.”

Best of Landscape Category – “An Inner Journey” by Nahuel Rosa

“This picture was taken during my spiritual pilgrimage to the holy city of Mekka in Saudi Arabia. The image of the Kaaba in the background is astonishing and the diversity of the million of pilgrims, inspiring. This picture represents to me the idea of walking towards a goal and initiating with courage a journey. A journey of peace and submission.”
Best of Still Life Category – “The Sergei Parajanov Museum” by Young Nae Choi


“This photograph was taken in Yerevan, Armenia. I took this photograph because I was attracted by the reflection of the sunlight in the window and the soft pastel colors.”

Best of People Category – “Yerevan Morning” by Young Nae Choi

“I was at the central market in Yerevan when I took this photograph. The lady in the photograph is one of the vendors who sold various products.”

*

You can view these photographs in higher resolution, view their EXIF data, and also see other photos submitted for the contest, by visiting the Society’s Flickr site.

Bearing Witness

Bearing Witness

| Jan 2011 | Art and Art History, Avenues, Photography |

PHOTOGRAPHY

Toward the end of October, I arrived at NYU Abu Dhabi to teach a workshop, “The Process of Bearing Witness: The Photographic Portrait.” Fourteen students participated. They composed and orchestrated shots of each other and of themselves; they examined who they were in relation to where they were. Students worked in crews of two, sharing equipment and most importantly, time and respect. I was impressed with the camaraderie and spirit of collaboration the students exhibited. Trust and group dynamic became tools to create work that asked even more questions, hinted at secrets, revealed information or challenged the viewer. Their critiques became more constructive and their work more provocative.

The portraits shown here are but a sampling of the diverse images created during this time, and more of them deserve attention. I want to thank my students for the opportunity they afforded me to learn and join them on this journey. It was an honor to begin to explore Abu Dhabi together, and its unique vision for the Middle East. I look forward to returning for the Spring semester teaching the course, Sound, Image, and Story.

 

[Click on a thumbnail below. Captions identify the name of the photographer.]

Joanne Savio is Director of Freshmen Studies at the Kanbar Institute of Film and Television, Tisch School of the Arts, NYU. She oversees Tisch’s first-year film and television program and teaches film-making and documentary film. A professional photographer, she has published several books and exhibited widely. Dance is a central theme of Savio’s work, and she has collaborated with leading choreographers, including Trisha Brown, Merce Cunningham, Mikhail Barishnikov, Mark Morris, and Garth Fagan, among others. Savio received a B.F.A with honors at Cooper Union School of Art. Additional portraits will be posted next week.

Pictures of Cosmopolitanism

Pictures of Cosmopolitanism

| Jan 2011 | Art and Art History, Colloquia, Photography, Progressions, Urban Studies |

As part of the summer colloquium “Cosmopolitan Ideas for Global Citizens,” each incoming NYU Abu Dhabi first-year student was invited to submit a photograph, taken in his or her local community, that captures something crucial about the nature of cosmopolitanism. The students were asked to title their photographs, but not to indicate the locations in which they were shot. Some students concentrated on the root of the word cosmopolitan, cosmos. Their photographs of wide expanses of the sky allude to an orderly world system. Other photographs depict the wide array of choices in the modern world, from commercial goods to friendships that cross boundaries. Cosmopolitanism is often associated with cities with diverse populations.  Several photographs focus on the urban fabric of such cosmopolitan places, while others focus on the cultures that gives cities distinctive identities despite the effects of globalization.

Some of the results are presented below. Together they offer a compelling portrait of the richness of contemporary thinking about cosmopolitanism, while evoking the rich variety of cultures that have come together at NYU Abu Dhabi.

To mark NYU Abu Dhabi’s inaugural January term classes, twenty-seven of the photographs will be on view at 19 Washington Square North (on the NYU New York campus) in an exhibition curated by Kerry Barrett.

[Click on a thumbnail below to enter a slide show at that picture.]

Masdar City, Fall 2010

Masdar City, Fall 2010

| Dec 2010 | Arab Crossroads, Art and Art History, Avenues, Photography, Urban Studies |

PHOTOGRAPHY
BY DANIEL CARBONE

Daniel Carbone is a filmmaker and writer currently living in Abu Dhabi. With a number of award-winning short films behind him, he is currently in production on Phantom Cowboys, a feature-length documentary as director and cinematographer, and Hide Your Smiling Faces, a feature-length narrative as writer and director. He is the Instructor of the Arts at NYU Abu Dhabi, where he facilitates student work in the areas of film, video, and photography, from concept to completion, and is a member of the Electra Street editorial collective.

Muscat – Al Ain – Istanbul

Muscat – Al Ain – Istanbul

| Dec 2010 | Art and Art History, Avenues, Photography, Urban Studies | 1 comment

PHOTOGRAPHY
Click on a thumbnail to enlarge.

 

 

 

 

Jordan Bailey-Hoover is a human rights advocate and amateur photographer currently living in Abu Dhabi. She graduated from the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University in 2007.

 

Sama Doodles

Sama Doodles

| Nov 2010 | Avenues, Photography |

PHOTOGRAPHY

Sama Tower is where the NYUAD faculty, staff and students largely reside. The images are idle diversions from the 42nd floor.

Shamoon Zamir is Associate Professor of Literature and Visual Studies at NYU Abu Dhabi and a member of the Electra Street editorial collective. He has recently completed a book on the photographs of Edward Curtis.