Critical mass Top50 in Denver

CRITICAL MASS TOP 50 - MARKERS OF TIME

From Photolucida in Portland Oregon, 200 photographer finalists work was viewed and voted on by over 200 esteemed international photography professionals. From the finalist group, the Top 50 are named and awarded. This group is being presented during the Month of Photography.

www.photolucida.org/critical-mass/top-50

Although there are seemingly infinite ways of making photographs - and as many opinions about their value - one of photography’s universal tools is its ability to become a tangible record of time. Whether that is achieved through the capture of a specific moment, or if a series of images present a visual journal of a photographer’s personal journey, these moments lend themselves to clichés that speak of time. The passing of time, time is of the essence, the work is “big time” or it might be ahead of its time.

When exploring the fantastic photographs created by the Critical Mass finalists, it may, at first, seem tricky to find a thematic thread that weaves its way throughout the work. After all, the photographers presented their work without parameters that locked them into to a specific theme. And yet, time after time, when looking at the photographs selected from this collection of 50 finalists, you can’t help but see time staring back at you. Some of the images are lost in time, some seem to have been created in a time warp, others feel timely, some suspend time and a few make you exclaim: “It’s about time!”

Each of these 50 images are part of a separate story. How you decide to see them, either through a narrative presented by the photographer, or via your own imagination, is up to you. Take your time. You might find that in each case they do more than suspend time; they become timeless.

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 Critical Mass is an annual online program that makes connections within the photography community. Photographers at any level, from anywhere in the world, submit a portfolio of 10 images.

Through a pre-screening process, the field is narrowed to a group of 200 finalists who go on to have their work viewed and voted on by over 200 esteemed international photography professionals.

From the finalist group, the Top 50 are named and a series of awards are given, including at least one monograph each year. Photolucida publishes and distributes the award winner’s publication, giving copies of the books to all participating photographers and jurors.

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The Artwork Network Gallery is located at 878 Santa Fe Drive in Denver, and is open Monday - Friday, 9am - 5pm, and Saturday 12 - 4pm, with special hours for First & Third Friday Artwalks.

“Still recognizable in their entirety, the monuments develop their own bubbly existence. Sometimes, they dance in a jagged tango step, a peppy twist or a shimmering flight of floating particles similar to the London Eye.” Raith, F., Das besondere Portfolio. Fraktale Monumente. In: Foto Magazin, No. 5, May 2005,  124-129

Thank you to Laura Valenti and Laura Moya for handling the critical Mass Top 50 in 2016. Thank you to our juror David Rosenberg.

And the most thanks to the critical mass jury!