Photographers use Facebook to set up art dialog

Students at Bezalel design school use "Interspace" page to bring together artists, photographers from around the world.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Facebook art project 370 (photo credit: Facebook screenshot)
Facebook art project 370
(photo credit: Facebook screenshot)
Social media has been used over the past couple years to organize events that have gone on to change the world as we know it. Now two photography students at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem have decided to use the medium to bring together artists and photographers from around the world.
The photographic art dialog coordinated through Facebook called "Interspace" is the brainchild of Jenna Hanson and Gali Blay, both students at the well-renowned design school in Jerusalem.
“Interspace reflects our desire to cooperate with artists and photographers beyond our borders, and to use today's technology in order to cross boundaries which were not accessible in the past,” said the students, who are also the curators of the project.
“Over the next month and a half, we will build the common space using participants' images, and on April 30, the Interspace will open for a four-day correspondence marathon, during which an image-based dialogue will develop between participants,” said Hanson and Blay.
One way that the students plan to reach out is to establish a "situation room" in the photography department, which will run and display the results of the correspondence in the gallery and on the web.
Holding discussions about art and photography are key to the project, head of the department, Miki Kratsman, explains. "This is a way for us to connect with the world outside Bezalel and Israel and to hold discussions around art and photography that can involve anyone interested in these topics – and Facebook is the perfect platform to hold such a dialog, Miki says.
“Bezalel aims to develop talent and creativity that are on a world-class level and we can only do this by interacting with people outside our borders,” he said. “This is one of those projects that can begin a dialog between different cultures, races, religions and people in general. We are opening ourselves up to other ideas and we welcome the thoughts and feelings that develop out of a piece of art.”
Bezalel’s photographers and artists hope to meet other photographers and artists in the Interspace, and to receive images that individuals would like to raise for discussion. Images don’t have to be purely photographic. Any artistic images are welcome.
All images should be sent in low resolution to photointerspace@gmail.com.
See the Interspace Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Interspace/321677611224359