Generator – Video production workshop

Written by

Generator  –  Production workshop for video art and experimental film 

About the Workshop:

Over the past few years, Medrar has been developing the Cairo Video Festival into a platform for local production, as well as the promotion of international experiments in filmmaking. The first video art and experimental film workshop took place in late 2013 and resulted in four shorts. This year, we decided to expand the program to provide participants with small production grants (supported by Pro Helvetia – The Swiss Arts Council) in addition to insightful presentations, discussions and critique sessions to assist them in making new films, which we are proudly showing in a special screening program.

Mohamed Abdelkarim (Egypt) and Christoph Oertli (Switzerland), both internationally acclaimed visual artists and filmmakers, were invited to lead the workshop and oversee the new productions. They selected five Egyptian artists of diverse backgrounds to join them, Christoph and Abdelkarim used the narrative based on cinematography and creating allegory that play a role as interpretation. for the subject I’m threading on it. 

The workshop aims to create a think tank and atmosphere that enables the development of the participants’ skills and knowledge in the process of video production, with an overview of video making history. 

Workshop program: 

Theoretical Sessions

The workshop included theoretical sessions that covered the following topics: classics videos, Found Footage, Image-Sound, video Installation, Staging reality, Camera as a tool, Video clip, Time manipulations, Cinematography, narrative videos, video and politics, feminism movements in cinema.

Production & Post-Production

Participants were asked to choose an idea / theme as subject of their work. Then, in one or multiples sessions, in a one on one setting, the selected ideas were discussed, analyzed and conceptualized to become a seed of an art project. At this stage, participants conduct research and collect material to be used in the making of the video. 

After shaping the project theoretically, each of the participants chose a location to shoot his/her video with the assistance of a producer. Some artists took their footage under the guidance of their mentors, while others preferred to shoot on their own. 

As the levels of proficiency of the participants varied, those who had experience in video making chose to do the editing by themselves, while the others edited their works at Medrar. 

Call for submission for Generator workshop

Written by

(The application form has been closed, we would like to thank all applicants, and we will announce participants soon)

Deadline for submission: 1st September 2014

Generator  workshop

A project that aims to invite participants interested in video and experimental film to engage in active learning and practice of video production and related disciplines. Encouraging artists to develop collaborative projects.

The workshop is scheduled for two weeks starting September 15th to 29th, followed by four weeks of post production.

Projects will be funded by Medrar and Pro Helvetia, and the final productions will be screened during the 6th Cairo Video Festival, November 5th 2014.

The workshop will be mentored by Christoph Oertli from Switzerland and Mohamed Abdelkarim from Egypt.

Dates: September 15th to October 31st

Deadline for application submission September 1st

Workshop – Sound Installation

Written by

Sound Installation Workshop supervised by The Musician Ramy Abadir with a Group of Sound Artists: Mahmoud Tarik ( Mody ) and Others From The Artist Ahmed Basiouny Students
Sunday, August 11th & Wednesday, August 14th, 2014 

The Swarm – Video production workshop 

Written by

Workshop was held parallel to Swarm, the 5th Cairo Video Festival. Five artists were selected to participate, based on the body and nature of work they had applied, that ensured their knowledge and technical abilities. 

Applicants engaged in an active learning practice process of experimentation and exploration of aesthetics and techniques of video production, under the instruction of artist Mohamed Abdelkarim.

Another mentor that contributed to the progress and realization of projects was artist Sherif ElAzma, and lectures were given by artist Maha Mamoon.

Workshop started November 20th till December 8th 2013.

The workshop resulted in the production of four video projects; Mr. Moonlight, by Ahmed Shawky, Ta Set Neferu by Asmaa and Hend ElKolally, The Surplus by Mena ElShazly, and Event by Mohamed Hatem.

Open Call – Swarm

Written by

Medrar Workshop for Video is a project aimed at bringing participants to interact with a group of lecturers and facilitators in a workshop that relies on delving into theoretical and practical practices to explore the vocabulary and elements of film/video, aesthetically and conceptually, and how to consume the elements of cinematic composition and the emerging practices in the field of video in producing experiences with a unique language. Therefore, the workshop’s methodology works in the context of cinematic language as a medium and tools that we can exploit to produce an experimental film with a unique language.

The workshop will host lecturers to present their experiences in film/video and to understand their production methodologies. Medrar Workshop for Video aims to produce a video (experimental film) – through lecturers, presentations, theoretical readings, and practical application that takes place over three weeks, with the support of Medrar Video Library.

The workshop targets 5 to 6 participants, and selection is based on the applicants who submit projects and ideas that are aware of how to deal with the contents and elements of film/video, which we see as a starting point for producing experimental films that are rich in cinematic language, its elements, and contents.

Invitation to Participate

The deadline for application is 19 November 2013 at 11 AM.

Workshop dates from 20 November to 8 December 2013.

Project Timeline:

The workshop lasts about three weeks, and the results are presented for two weeks.

Workshop Location:

Medrar for Contemporary Art – 7 Gamal El Din Abu El Mahasen – Apartment 4

Garden City – Cairo – Egypt

For Participation:

The workshop organizers will provide the tools and devices for use according to schedules set with the participants. It is necessary to review the management in projects that may require equipment beyond the project’s budget.

Participation Form

Name:

Date of Birth:

Telephone:

Email:

Address:

Brief Biography (no more than 5 lines)

Workshop Participation Request:

What do you expect to achieve by participating?

Preliminary proposal for the suggested project (additional files can be attached)

Workshop and Exhibition – Bearing Witness

Written by

Bearing Witness

Through a series of artistic work sessions through five weeks. The workshops were planned as to discuss real stories experienced or witnessed by ordinary people in extraordinary situations and times, as base to produce inspired art projects, by proposing methods to approach the artistic problem, concept, and form, taking into consideration their relation to the community. Through ‘Bearing Witness’ participants produced individual and group projects based on the discussions with contexts relating to the current social, ideological and political shifts.

Bearing Witness: the stories of ordinary people living during extraordinary times is a contemporary art theory and practice project that is based on the methodology of Plexus International’s co-operas.  Dr. Sandro Dernini and a group of international artists founded Plexus to create large-scale collaborative art projects known as co-operas during the 1980s in New York City’s Lower East Side.

The objective of Bearing Witness was to provide an artistic eyewitness account to the extraordinary experiences of ordinary Egyptians living during these extraordinary times.  During extraordinary times, stories tend to be told more sincerely.  Sharing and appreciating such stories helps bridge individual differences by creating a collective consciousness and awareness of the “other.”

The Workshop

A workshop for the production of collaborative multi-disciplinary projects around the concept of bearing witness to stories told by ordinary people living during extraordinary times, based on the methodology of Plexus International’s co-operas. During the three weeks of workshops, investigation and collaborative work was developed in a context of community dialogue, personal encounters, and collective learning using both theory and practice.

Exhibition

Display of art works realized by the participants during the Bearing Witness workshop, most of the works where the first exhibited piece of the artist, featuring films, multimedia installations, photography, sound art performances, paintings and ceramics

Bearing Witness was conceived by artist/educator Arturo Lindsay and is being developed in collaboration with Atlanta and Cairo based artists, educators, technicians and students.

OLE, Master class

Written by

Phase II – Master Class
Cairo 22 March – 5 May (2010)

An extended version that took place in Medrar for 40 continuous days gathered 8 participants in one room together with 2 experts for advance training. The goal of this workshop was to assess the enthusiasm within artists towards constructing their own sustainable modules for digital creation, where they can later act as a local capacity of reference and skill.

Two main techniques were taught in the workshop:
– Pure Data: real-time multi-media environment and programming language.
– Arduino: electronic interface to the real world and control devices.
Some other techniques and technologies were taught: soldering, circuit building (basic level) and sound editing.


In the memory of Ahmed Basiouny a dear friend and great artist who devoted much to OLE. He started writing his PHD about Open Source Community In Arabic language and was killed by the Police during the Egyptian Revolution 28-1-2011.  

Open Lab Egypt Workshops in Cairo & Alexandria

Written by

Video Interactive Projects

A long term project based on several workshop phases between Cairo and Alexandria, initiated with aims of developing the use of electronic interface within art creation in Egypt. The project phases  provide introduction to the technique, experimentation with tools, investigating ideas and concept evaluation.

Cairo Workshop: 16-30 October 2009

Alexandria Workshop: 25 November – 4 December 2009

The workshop aims at finding alternative, low budget and sustainable ways to create interactive artworks and to develop digital and electronic systems within contemporary artworks.

Cairo workshop

16 october – 31 october 2009 – ROOFTOP STUDIO
Workshop for the production of ideas/projects around the concept of interactive image and sound, using a combination of free hardware and software platforms (PD and Arduino) to deepen in the use of electronics and programming.

The workshop is intended for art students, artists, designers and educators, contributing to development cultural production in local communities.

During the two weeks of workshop a space of reflection, investigation and collaborative work will be developed in a context of production, encounter, dialogues and collective learning where several tutors exert of technical advisers of the artists and work groups who develop each one of the proposals.

The platforms taught are all open – software and hardware – but may be adapted to any system.

Contents: – Introduction to electronics and microcontrollers concepts – Using Sensors – Control of Video and Audio – Work on projects suggested by the participants

Alexandria workshop

November 25 to 4th of December, 2009

Workshop for the production of ideas/projects around the concept of interactive image and sound, using Computer Vision techniques to deepen in the use of electronics and programming.

The workshop is intended for art students, artists, designers and educators, contributing to development cultural production in local communities.

The aim of this workshop is to teach the use of the camera as a device for creating interactive audiovisual installations. Using the OpenCV library.
Participants will learn the basics of Computer Vision Techniques and then be able to start applying them to artistic projects.

During the 10 days of workshop a space of reflection, investigation and collaborative work will be developed in a context of production, encounter, dialogues and collective learning where several tutors exert of technical advisers of the artists and work groups who develop each one of the proposals.

The platforms taught are all open – software and hardware – but may be adapted to any system.

Contents:

  • Introduction to Computer Vision
  • Processing Live Video
  • Processing of data
  • Motion Detection in a public space
  • Control of Video and Audio
  • Work on projects suggested by the participants

Duration: 10 days, including open seminars and demonstration of resulting works

Artists Weekly Sessions

Written by

In a series of 15 consecutive sessions, 15 contemporary artists presented their work to an audience eager to know more on the artists and their work in Medrar’s space. region. The idea here is to promote a new and  lateral way of disseminating information between  artists, as opposed to the more traditional vertical structure where information is “passed on” from established artists to younger ones.

Passage 2: Video workshop

Written by

A video art workshop co-organised and hosted in Passage35 hall , the workshop lasted for three weeks, including screenings, lectures, discussion and video production. The workshop provided participants with cameras, video tapes, editing devices.

An artist talk was held with the artist Amal Kenawy to present some of her works and an open discussion with the participants.At the end of the workshop, 14 videos were produced, and premiered at passage 35 hall on November 24.

Passage 1: Video workshop

Written by

A video art workshop co-organised and hosted in Passage35 which lasted for two weeks, including screenings, lectures, discussions and video production. The workshop provided participants with cameras, video tapes, editing devices, and resulted in the production of 11 videos. Passage 1 also hosted open discussions with artists Shady Elnshokaty on 19th, Ahmed Elshaer on 20th, Hassan Khan on 21st March 2007. Finally on the 23rd April 2007, at 7pm, the “Passage 1” workshop videos premiered at passage 35.