Course Syllabus

Urban Exploration Photography Workshop

Description of course: 

Urban Exploration is the exploration of the man-made environment and people’s interactions in and with that environment.

The environments we explore range from abandoned ruins and rarely-seen components of the man-made environment to parts of the city that is overlooked because of them being mundane.

This course will use photography to investigate the contemporary city in general, and, in particular, to explore the overlooked, the abandoned, and edge land conditions of the contemporary metropolis.

The course will use Copenhagen as its base, but will prepare students to take advantage of the wider European hinterland for further individual explorations.

The course does not subscribe to urban exploration in its most radical form—hence, trespassing will not be part of this course. The course instead will view urban exploration methods and sensibilities as a long missing tangent of analysis and documentation of the transformation of the contemporary city.

In particular, the course aims to develop and refine a new sensitivity towards the overlooked, the abandoned, and the neglected—all the aspects of the city that fail to make their way into the publicity and branding of a modern city, yet continue to be part of life and shaped by man and time.

“In the grip of rigid images and precise delineations, the urban imagination lost vitality. In particular, what is missing in modern urbanism is a sense of time—not time looking backwards nostalgically but forward-looking time: the city understood as process, its imagery changing through use, an urban imagination formed by anticipation, welcoming surprise.” Richard Sennett, The Open City, in The Endless City, London 2007

Cultivating this new, enhanced urban imagination through urban exploration photography is what this course aims to do.

Note: This course focuses on telling stories through pictures, not on photographic technicalities. You must provide your own camera and have the basic knowledge of how to use the camera in a variety of lighting conditions.

Also it is required that you bring a bike to certain classes. Because this course explores a larger part of Copenhagen, biking is the best way to get around. You will be notified well in advance, and if you can’t loan a bike, DIS will reimburse your expense for a rental bike.

Learning objectives of the course: 

At the end of this course you should have the ability to:

• Demonstrate an enhanced level of critical evaluation, appreciation, and creativity in relation to the urban landscape, both to the edge lands of the contemporary metropolis and the city in general.
  
  
• Cultivate and structure a set of valid criteria—approaches, inquiries, methodologies, etc.—upon which your studies and practices of urban exploration photography may be more meaningfully grounded and articulated.
  
  
• Exercise effective criticism (textually, verbally, visually), whilst engaging in and contributing positively to the intellectual life of the class. This includes the ability to interrogate and interpret the diversity of urban exploration photographic ideas as fielded in all lectures, readings, debates, field studies, independent assignments, and examinations.

Required Readings:

• Gilbert, Melody. "Urban Explorers: Into the Darkness", Frozen Feet Films, 2007
• Shore, Stephen. "The Nature of Photographs", Phaidon, 2010
• Kim, Eric. "6 Lessons Eugene Atget Has Taught Me About Street Photography". Eric Kim Photography. 2013.
• Gehl, Jan. Excerpt from "Cities for People", Islands Press, 2010
• Gehl, Jan. Excerpt from "How to study public life", Islands Press, 2013
• Perec, Georges trans. Marc Lowenthal. Excerpt from "An Attempt at Exhausting a Place in Paris". Cambridge: Wakefield Press, 2010.
• Kessels, Erik. Excerpt from “Failed it! - How to turn mistakes into ideas and other advice for successfully screwing up”, Phaidon Press Ltd, 2016
• Works by Danish photographers and artists; Wilhelm Hammershøj, Trine Sondergaard, Daniel Hjorth, Krass Clement, Søren Lose, Peter Funch, Jacob Holdt, Jacob Riis and more.
• Works by international photographers and artists, Eugene Atges (FR), Gordon Matta-Clark (US), Philippe Petit (FR), Rachel Whiteread (UK) and more.

Approach to Teaching:

Through practical assignments, this class provides you with hands-on experiences in urban exploration photography. Lectures, field studies, guest instructors, student presentations, and group work will all help you to develop a critical and creative approach to understanding and documenting the urban landscape— both the edge land conditions of the contemporary metropolis and the city in general. In addition to individual urban exploration, the class will also complete a Collective Documentary from different areas of Copenhagen. Here the class will work as one team divided into small groups to investigate and explore the same issue.

Faculty:

Peter Helles Eriksen: BA in Photojournalism form the Danish School of Media and Journalism (2007-2011), Pathshala, South Asian Institute of Photography, Dhaka, Bangladesh (2010), Fatamorgana, Danish School of Documentary and Art Photography (2006). Photojournalist at Berlingske Tidende (2008-2010). Photo editor at Danish weekly newspaper Weekendavisen (2021). Has worked as a freelance photographer since 2011 and since 2015 been part of the artist collective "Sara, Peter & Tobias". With DIS since 2018.

Expectations of the Students: 

Active participation, individual research, and personal reflection are required for this course. All students are expected to develop a high level of communicative clarity, professional judgement, and craft in all aspects of their work.

Field studies and/or study tour:

Field studies are a primary experiential learning component of the course. These activities should be viewed as an integrated component of the lecture course. The visits will illustrate and expand upon the content of the lectures and readings.

Evaluation: 

Throughout the course’s three assignments, evaluation will be based on following rubrics: Requirements, Technique, Aesthetic choices, Reflection and originality. The first two assignments each count for 15% of the final course grade, while the final assignment counts for 25%. An artist presentation counts for 15%. Participation and engagement in class - exercises included - will count for a further 30% under the title “Development and Performance during the Semester.”

See the percentage breakdowns below:

 Academic Regulations

• Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on:

  • Course Enrollment and Grading
  • Academic Expectations and Honor Code

DIS - Study Abroad in Scandinavia - www.DISabroad.org