Cairo See Prints
Code Z decided to check up on what's happening with the arts scene across the Atlantic. Destination: Cairo on the occasion of the Forty-Ninth World Press Photo Awards (WPPA) this past February. The WPPA is the largest press photography competition that promotes photojournalism. The festivities also include an exhibition of the most riveting photography of 2005/06. It's a tremendous gathering of photographers; more than 180 images were on view, which is just a small percentage of the 83 thousand images in the collection, created by 4,500 photographers representing 122 countries.
This event was hosted in conjunction with the Contemporary Image Collective, which is Cairo's only independent and artist helmed center. Hosting such a prestigious event is proof that the Contemporary Image Collective (CIC) has juice indeed, but what's really hot is that the CIC is an institution going against the grain; this institution is currently fueling a renaissance of traditional photography in Cairo. As digital photography grows in popularity and accessibility, the CIC has a campaign to educate photographers and photo enthusiasts about traditional silver based printing. Their darkrooms are open to the public free of charge three times a week, although you have to BYOC (bring your own chemicals). There are also cheap courses on printing fundamentals. Traditional photography is seemingly becoming a vintage art form, with darkrooms closing their doors around the world and companies like Kodak discontinuing products that are integral to silver gelatin prints. We're glad to see some in Cairo going back to the roots of the artform.
16 April 2007