Submissions now open: Gorecore
Calling All Photographers: Join us in exploring the satirical appreciation of unfiltered Fashion Photography.
Photobook Cafe and Rapid Eye Darkrooms are excited to launch our second quarterly Open Call series, with this October's theme, Gorecore. Join us in exploring the satirical appreciation of unfiltered Fashion Photography. With an aim to exemplify the ways in which photographers capture, and produce an alternative perspective to Contemporary Fashion and popular culture.
Inspiration
Taking inspiration from Francesca's Granata’s writings on Experimental Fashion, Carnival and the Grotesque Body the exhibition will see the proliferation of the grotesque within contemporary Fashion Photography, and the position these photographs hold within popular culture.
Submissions
We invite photographers of all levels to respond to the theme Gorecore. With clean aesthetics out and stark oversaturated mass produced images in, we ask you to respond to the satire appreciation of unfiltered Fashion Photography, the fetishisation of eccentric fashion and the uniqueness of trashy Gen Z culture.
Guest Judges
Bringing forth the duality of tenderness and brutality, Fashion Photographer Jordan Hemingway has joined us as our ultimate guest judge and visual inspiration. Subverting our expectations of how conventional beauty standards within Fashion Photography can look, with exploring an alternative to stereotypical models and styling. Seeking the evocative otherworldly within your submissions, Hemingway will select submissions that explore a visibility of different types of beauty and how these can be represented by eccentric Fashion Photography.
August Sombatkamrai a multidisciplinary artist who is profoundly interested in story telling, focusing predominantly on their Thai British identity and queerness. Known online for their boldly experimental make-up artistry, August has had many viral moments in the spotlight including starting the Vampire Skin trend on TikTok which saw them featured on Vogue, GRAZIA, Allure and GLAMOUR. Their rejection of fads and trends have led to revolutionary looks as they reside at the other end of the spectrum.
Selection Process
Our invited guest judges, renowned Fashion Photographer Jordan Hemingway and viral Influencer August Sombatkamrai, collectively will review all submissions. Selecting the final 30 who will have one photograph presented within a one day group exhibition held at The Photobook Cafe. With one best in show photographer being awarded a year's membership to Rapid Eye Darkrooms, which also includes qualifying discounts or £500 credit to spend in select services, you can find out more about Rapid Eye memberships and qualifying discounts here.
Prizes and Opportunities
Exhibition: Selected photographs will be displayed in a group exhibition at the Photobook Cafe Gallery on October 30th.
Publication: Final photographers will receive a copy of the exhibition publication featuring our final selected photographers, further copies will be available for purchase at the Rapid Eye Bookshop.
Print Sales: If selected you have the option to sell your selected photograph as a limited edition print at the exhibition.
Online Print Room: All selected works will be available for purchase through our online Print Room, printed by Rapid Eye Darkrooms.
Grand Prize: One photographer will win a year's membership to Rapid Eye Darkrooms or the equivalent in select services (valued at £500).
Supported by Rapid Eye Darkrooms: rapideye.uk.com
Many thanks to our guest judges:
Jordan Hemingway @jordan_hemingway
August Sombatkamrai: brothermodels.com @imonaugust