DOCfield>15 brings documentary photography to the city's streets
From the 19th of May to the 23rd of July under the banner "The Heart of the Matter", the festival will feature around forty exhibitions that combine current techniques with visual experimentation
The festival DOCfield>15 is with us again, transforming Barcelona into a mecca for documentary photography from the middle of May onwards. Organised by the foundation Photographic Social Vision and with 134,000 visitors last year, the festival has consolidated itself as an obligatory visit for anyone with an interest in the genre.
Directed by Jessica Murphy, this year's central theme and title is The Heart of the Matter, via which the director wishes to emphasise the importance of photography as a means of creating and communicating stories. They say there is nothing like a good story to both enrich the mind and as a means of presenting facts that are little known among the general public, and the aim of this year's edition is to explore themes that are of particular relevance today, such as conflict, immigration, recycling, self-determination, health and identity, by means of visual narrative.
As a novelty this year, and as a means of exploring the more than 40 exhibitions included in the festival to the maximum, the organisers have proposed seven routes corresponding to seven geographical areas of the city - Ciutat Vella, Poble Sec, Poblenou (focussing on exhibitions from the Visa Pour L'Image Festival), Eixample, Gràcia, Nou Barris and Sarrià.
The programme as a whole is an attempt to combine current topics with narrative and visual experimentation. For example, eating disorders are dealt with in On Eating Disorders, by Laia Abril and The Big O, by Abbie Trayler-Smith, while Francesco Zizola pays tribute to all the immigrants who have lost their lives while attempting to reach Europe in Depth of Silence. Guillaume Herbaut offers a portrait of contemporary Ukraine, Tanya Habjouqa breaks with the customary bleak vision of Palestinian reality, while William Daniels presents Train for the Forgotten, a train that serves as a travelling medical clinic in a remote area of Russia.
As a summary of what could be referred to as the soul of DOCfield, this year it will also be possible to visit The Heart of the Matter: an online festival, an exhibition curated by the director herself that features the edition's hottest topics and which can currently be seen in the Espacio Mercè Sala as well as in several metro stations. In addition to the customary guided tours, the festival also offers a wide range of activities, including workshops on the particular perspective of certain photographers and a series of photographic excursions. As with every year, there will also be the DOCfield Dummy Award, which will be presented by a panel of experts and consist of the publication of a photo-book.
A further section, NITS DOCfield (DOCfield NIGHTS) will take place every Thursday during the month of June and will feature the screening of four films in various plazas around the city. Each session will focus on a different subject. On the 4th of June the Plaça Pou de la Figuera will host Mi barrio (My district), on the 11th the Plaça del Sortidor will focus on street photography, on the 18th the Plaça de Sarrià will show films dealing with the subject of resistance and, finally, on the 25th, the Plaça Sant Joaquim will screen audio-visual pieces dealing with the subject of movement.
DOCfield>15. Festival Fotografia Focumental Barcelona
When: from the 19th of May to the 23th of July
Tickets: free entrance
Where: several place
More information here