Cypriot artist Stylianou to teach AAU summer photo course

December 1, 2008

In May 2009, Anglo-American University will welcome back Cypriot artist Theopisti Stylianou to teach a documentary photography course over the summer aimed at helping students create fresh pictures of Prague.
"My goal is to work with a diverse and motivated group of students to help them discover, follow, and shape their own photographic voice," said Stylianou.
Stylianou taught art-related courses at AAU from 2002 until 2005 so she isn't a newcomer to the university, but she says she is looking forward to teaching here again.
She is happy to return to Prague not only because she loves the city, but also because she appreciates the broad background of AAU students. "Students come from different countries, with different experiences, expectations and perceptions of reality. This is an ingredient that can be an asset in a photography course," said Stylianou.
The course is open to all levels of photographers and will be focused on documentary photography, in other words photographing events as they happen as opposed to taking staged pictures. "Documentary photography is about observing, analyzing, dissecting and understanding the world around us," she said.
She said that even though she places a huge value on aesthetics in her own work, she eventually grew tired of "pretty" pictures. "I am now more interested in a more challenging form of photography, one that can reveal realities rather than just glorify them."
Stylianou took the long way to photography, first studying business and advertising before switching her focus to the visual arts. She uses this broad base of experience in her approach to photography and teaching. She's currently showing her work at two group exhibitions in Cyprus: "A Book for a Lifetime" and the "Young Cypriot Artist" exhibition.
Stylianou will replace Czech photographer Hana Jakrlova, whose work was featured in the "European Cities of Culture 2000" project. Like her predecessor, Stylianou plans to show students photographs taken by some of the biggest names in documentary photography. "The course will include examples of work by the masters as well as by contemporary photographers working with photography as a document," she said.
Currently, Stylianou is inspired by another contemporary artist, Jacqueline Hassink, known for showcasing her politics in photography. "[Hassink] explores issues of power by photographing spaces where power is negotiated, like board rooms, expensive stores, and car shows," Stylianou said.
Students will be required to argue about their choice of photographs, since choosing the right picture is a crucial part of photography. There will be an exhibition at the end of the course, where participants will show their work produced during the course.
Stylianou said the quality of an image has nothing to do with how good a camera the student uses. Even though she switched to a professional-quality digital camera three years ago, she said a simple point-and-shoot camera can still take beautiful images.