140 years of existence of photography witnessed many changes in the process of image perception; its role, capabilities, and place in the social and cultural environment changed. If photography appeared as a fact depicted on paper, as depiction of reality and objectivity of the surrounding world (the photographer took the position of a craftsman who skillfully and qualitatively did his job), nowadays photography has become one of the main manipulation mechanisms due to montage, new media technologies, visual ideology and propaganda.

Year 2014 has shown that, despite existence of new media technologies and the Internet, during a sociopolitical crisis a state still gets into informational vacuum. Ukraine is a bright example..

The project has two crucial aims. First of all – education. The idea of holding the project resulted from the absence of professional training in the field ofphotography, and especially its modern directions.

Secondly, the aim of the first festival is to attract attention of people to the issue of perceiving photography as a visual medium in the sphere of mass information in close connection to daily life.

The topic of the first festival – History / Manipulation – is an attempt to study how a visual image can create a new interpretation of historic events.

The project takes place in two countries – Ukraine and Georgia, in two sister cities near the Black Sea – in Odessa and Batumi. The cities are connected not only by the sea, but by the history of construction and conception of development of the cities. It is the first time when two states will be connected by a common project – Odessa /Batumi Photo Days.

The united team, which includes artists and curators from Georgia and Ukraine, has elaborated a concept and a development plan of the project. The project is divided into two stages of realization:

April, 2015 – Odessa, Ukraine – the first stage of the festival that focuses on the educational program. Workshops for photographers, three curatorial research photoexhibitions.

August 25-30, 2015 – Batumi, Georgia – the second stage is a visual part. A range of international photo exhibitions related to the topic of the first year.

Organizers – NGO Art Travel, Contemporary Art Space, Batumi