THE SCHOOL PROJECT OF THE FESTIVAL LA GACILLY-BADEN PHOTO 2024

Every year, the festival’s exhibitions offer us a window on the world through the eyes of photographers, showing us geographical areas and cultures outside our familiar surroundings. They show a variety of photographic styles and artists. They also draw our attention to environmental and social issues that we often don’t know enough about.

Since the beginning of the Neolithic, humans have changed the environment and their relationship with other living beings. In recent decades, our ecosystem has been repeatedly disrupted by various events, resulting in the disappearance of countless animal and plant species and jeopardising the biodiversity of our planet, of which we are an essential part. It is no secret that we humans are to blame, and so we must challenge and use our creativity to find solutions.

The festival asks participating students to express their understanding of environmental challenges, ecological change and the future they envision through photography.

It is not about repeating the problems and causes of these phenomena again and again. The festival has already highlighted and sounding the alarm about it for years refering strongly to the extent and complexity. Rather, it is about conveying other visions for a more responsible world. Every year, the photographers‘ perspectives also reveal the beauty and power of nature.

It is about giving young people the opportunity to express their perspectives and ideas on the challenges of today and, above all, tomorrow. How can we build and shape models of society so that we can pass this precious world on to our children and grandchildren?

This project, which is made possible by a partnership between the Lower Austrian provincial government and the Baden Photo Festival, brings together16 public schools from all over the country to develop an educational project on the subject of photography. 

The resulting exhibition, which is an integral part of the 2024 festival program, shows all the works produced by the pupils that year. These works will be on display in Baden together with the photographic works of 16 schools in Morbihan in Brittany, France, and reflected each other visions.