Image: Marica Kolcheva
FOTODOK, Foundation Dialogue and VN Magazine are committed together to promote the development of young photographers and documentary story telling. The theme of this third edition is related to the FOTODOK exhibition starting 23 November 2018, that will look for new structures that do justice to the changing ideas on how we want to live with each other. The jury unanimously chose Marica Kolcheva as winner of the Stipend Dialogue.
In addition to the €3000, Marica Kolcheva receives all the support possible from the organizations involved in the realization of her project. The starting photographer winning the Stipend Dialogue 2018 will use the stipend to work out her project proposal fully the coming months, coached by FOTODOK and VN Magazine.
The jury was unanimous in its choice for Marica Kolchova. Central in her project proposal Meteorologicastands the relationship of us humans with the weather. She looks at The New Wein an era in which human activities have a dominating influence on environment and climate, and large ecological changes are taking place: the Anthropocene. According to Kolcheva, the human tendency to control nature and the elements expresses itself in weather forecasts. Meteorologica charts the area where science and magic meet, by bringing together rituals, superstition and new scientific experiments in her project.
“We have to learn to see the Anthropocene, which is actually not a crisis, rather a permanent condition we live in. What kind of visual vocabulary do we need to see the world around us? How does technology shape the interactions in society? The New We requires new ways to see and to be seen.“
Marica Kolcheva
The jury was impressed by the intelligent and meticulous proposal. The visual language is just as intriguing as the concept. The subject offers an interesting view on The New We: what makes us ‘we’ is the earth that connects us and our thirst for control and power that may result in the destruction of our living environment. The photographical outlines that are part of the project have a (pseudo) scientific character. The material is diverse and triggers curiosity. Kolcheva’s objective is to create awareness and discussion, and raise a matching responsibility. The jury is curious about the development of the project and looks forward to both process and result.
The jury – comprising Jenny Smets (VN Magazine), Friso Wiersum (Foundation Dialogue), Femke Rotteveel (FOTODOK) and Lisanne van Happen (FOTODOK) intended to honor a project with a strong concept and a maker with an inquisitive and research-oriented attitude. The jury looked for a project that shows us The New We and at the same time offers us a mirror and a perspective for the future. Strikingly, this year’s submissions were all project proposals from women. The diversity in perspectives and the social commitment to the subject were great.
Do you want to know more about Marica Kolcheva’s project proposal? Please follow FOTODOK’s website and social media for regular updates on the project.
Kolcheva is born in Bulgaria and obtained a Bachelor in Film Studies. She lives in Rotterdam now and studies Photography (MA) at AKV|St.Joost.
