Fast Forward 2: Women in Photography at LagosPhoto Festival

The fifth international research workshop in a series funded
by the Leverhulme Trust to be held 28–29 October in Lagos, Nigeria

Azu Nwagbogu and Charlotte Langhorst at LagosPhoto, Professor Anna Fox and Maria Kapajeva, from the University for the Creative Arts (UCA, UK), have organised the fifth research workshop for the Fast Forward 2 International Networks project, which will be held at LagosPhoto Festival. This next workshop, at this rapidly growing international photography festival, includes established and early career professionals from the fields of photography, curation, and writing to discuss new perspectives on women in photography in West Africa and the wider African continent as well as representation of women in new photographic practices.

Invited guests and presenters will discuss issues and ideas and share information valuable for future projects with the aim of advocating for women photographers to be better recognised and discussed in the world of photography.

Karen Knorr will mediate one of these research presentations with participants including: Emma Lewis (Assistant Curator, Tate), Wunika Mukan (Director Pacers Ltd, Women’s Film Club, Nigeria), Danielle Wu and Patricia Azevedo (Artist / Curator of FIF/ Professor in the Visual Arts, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais). Knorr will be participating in Part 4 of the presentations presenting the photographic work of Peruvian artist Milagros de La Torre, which explores human rights abuses and its consequences. Karen Knorr will also be mentoring emerging African women photographers during the festival.

Professor Anna Fox at University for the Creative Arts (UCA) in Farnham was awarded a International Network grant from the Leverhulme Trust in 2017. The grant has  funded  Fast Forward 2: an International Network for Women in Photography involving seven partners in six different parts of the globe. Fast Forward 2 is the first international research networking project for women in photography based in a UK University. The project intends to investigate the significance of remembering not to forget the stories both historical and contemporary of women in photography across the globe.

The aims of the workshops are to: discover hidden histories of women in photography, to explore similarity and difference in issues faced by women working as photographers; to investigate the purpose and rationale for the formation of an international network and what we might do to work together supporting women in photography globally.