Centre Céramique hosts 2008 World Press Photo exhibit, and more

“What is interesting for me is that he and I are connected by this image and I hope people who see that image through this intimacy also become connected by it, because for me the power of images isn’t necessary in what they represent but it is in their ability to connect”

Tim Hetherington

The World Press Photo 2008 exhibition will be on show from 31 October to 23 November at Centre Céramique in Maastricht.

“Centre Céramique is a perfect location to host the exhibition,” says project manager Miriam Mordang. “It is very open and there’s no entrance fee. Anyone who comes to the library, or to the restaurant, can see this year’s winning photographs”.

World Press Photo is an independent, non-profit organisation based in Amsterdam. Founded in 1955 the organisation is known for holding the world’s largest and most prestigious annual press photography contest.

Paul Ruseler, project manager at the World Press Photo’s exhibitions department, explains how the contest takes place: “A new independent international jury is appointed each year, made up of professionals representing the world of photojournalism – magazines, newspapers, editors, photographers… There’s a geographical representation too, in the sense that the members of the jury are selected from all parts of the world. They come here to Amsterdam for two weeks in February. During the first week they view and judge all the 80.000 images that are submitted. About 15.000 images make it to the next round which takes place on the following week, after which the winners are chosen for the different categories.”

World Press Photo exhibition in Toronto, Canada by Small fat, via Flickr

Once the prizewinning photographs of the year are revealed, Mr Ruseler prepares “all the exhibitions that travel around the world, that is to say about 100 exhibitions each year in about 50 different countries.” 

Mrs Mordang says she felt deeply impressed by this year’s winning photograph: “I thought it was shocking picture. It was taken by Tim Hetherington in Afghanistan, in the Korengal Valley, in a bunker named after a soldier who had died there. It made me think about the First World War, the trenches where the soldiers ducked in. When I saw it, I thought: ‘We are still doing this!’.

“It’s really sad to see this picture,” she adds, “there are still so many sad things going on in the world.”

The American soldier depicted in the photograph looks exhausted and terrified. “There’s been a lot of debate around this year’s winner,” explains Mr Ruseler. “It’s got a sort of aesthetics that people maybe would not expect in photojournalism.”

The 2008 World Press Photo exhibition showcases 185 prizewinning pictures from ten different categories, including spot news, general news, sports features, contemporary issues, portraits, nature and daily life.

World Press Photo exhibion in Quito, Ecuador, by Adn Montalvo via Flickr

“Although the impact of the World Press Photo contest has never officially been analysed, if you look at blogs and how the industry communicates online, you could say that it does work as a sort of a benchmark in photojournalism,” says Mr Ruseler.

Indeed, some award winning photographs have become iconic. Such an example would be Nick Ut Cong Huynh’s 1972 photograph of Vietnamese children fleeing a napalm bomb explosion.

Centre Céramique: a meeting place for everyone in Maastricht
Built between 1995 and 1999 and designed by the Limburg architect Jo Coenen, Centre Céramique aims to be much more than a traditional city library. “Libraries are changing,” says Miriam Mordang. “They are also for people to come to enjoy themselves, to get tickled.”

“Apart from hosting the city’s archives and main library, we also organise exhibitions, workshops and concerts. We want to be a meeting place for everyone in Maastricht”, she explains.

Centre Céramique however should not be seen as a museum. “We have a different goal than [Maastricht’s] Bonnefanten Museum, which is purely about art. Every Sunday, we offer a programme open to all, often in the form of workshops for young and old, and we are one of the only venues in the region hosting frequent photo exhibitions.”

“Once a month we organise a small chamber concert with three musicians from the Limburg Symphonic Orchestra, for which students can get a discount. There are also lunch concerts, for instance by students of the Maastricht Conservatory, who perform one Thursday every month.”

Centre Céramique also promotes the city’s cultural heritage. “One of our major tasks is to tell people about the history of Maastricht.” One of the exhibitions currently on display is entitled “About Gods and the Dead” (Over Goden en Doden), and highlights various religious aspects of the city in ancient and medieval times.

Sarcophagus found in Maastricht

Maastricht ceramics

Maquette of the city of Maastricht

Book Fair at Centre Céramique

Cradle to Cradle, a must see at Centre Céramique in December!
Starting on 7 December Centre Céramique will showcase a new exhibition, “Cradle to Cradle”, inspired by a book , “Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the way we make things”, published in 2002 by an American architect, William McDonough, and a German chemist, Michael Braungart.

“It’s a kind of environmental theory put into practice,” says Mrs Mordang. “The philosophy behind this theory is that we have to take a critical look at the way we produce things. Perhaps some products should be produced differently, by taking into account the waste they may generate afterwards”, says Mrs Mordang. “Cradle to Cradle invites people to make their own judgments.”

Limburg companies that have created objects according to Cradle to Cradle principles will be able to display their products at the exhibition. “Visitors will get a good opportunity to learn about the latest environmental challenges,” says Mrs Mordang, adding that the exhibition will also be offered in English.

Expats are welcome!
“There are plenty of resources for expats at Centre Céramique,” says Mrs Mordang. “We have a good selection of books in English and other languages, a large selection of national and international magazines and newspapers, free wireless Internet access, and many scientific databases. A lot of students and researchers use Centre Céramique as a study place, in the cubicles or in other quiet spots of the library.”

“And for those who would like to visit the area we can organise architectural or historical walks in Maastricht, also in English. In the future, we are hoping to host bilingual archeological and cultural heritage exhibitions, in Dutch and English. We haven’t been able to do that very often, but we are working on it.”

“And even if you’re not interested in culture, feel free to come and have a cup of coffee in one of our two cafés, read a magazine, use your computer, or the Internet,” says Mrs Mordang. “Centre Céramique is simply a very beautiful building to spend time in.”

By Catalina Goanta

Catalina Goanta, a Master Student from Romania at the Law faculty in Maastricht, is fascinated by the biorhythm of Maastricht.