Winners
The panel of judges have made their choice! They selected these three winning photographs because they felt these best represented a slice of campus life in a fun, creative and interesting way.
Read what three of our judges had to say about the winning photographs below and there will be more information about the winners in the October 19 issue of the NOW e-newsletter.
Grand prize winner
“My Concordia” by Basma Baydoun (Student)
What was your inspiration?
“You can make any space your own and it seems perfect to parallel that with an educational institution because it gives you the options and the skills to do so. I'm not saying I plan on running after giraffes, although fun, but the old cliché applies “the sky is the limit”.”
Runner up
“A school...” by Cristian Zamfir (Student)
What was your inspiration?
“I'm a business student and I often pass by the main buildings of Concordia (JMSB, Library, Hall and EV buildings). On different occasions, it crossed my mind that there are so many different student associations and groups in which students take part. I realized that we all, more or less, contribute to this school -- whether by forming a club, by contributing at a place such as a "People's Potato", reacting to an article in the Concordian, donating books to a book fair, etc., -- and are therefore small pieces of this entity that is Concordia University.”
Runner up
“Rue Bishop” by Alana Latincic (Student)
What was your inspiration?
“I had arrived early to my painting class on a dreary, wet morning and, being the first to enter the room, began to slide the curtains off the windows to let some light into the studio. I was then greeted with the sight in the photograph. Despite the particularly nasty weather the view held a certain immensity that demanded my recognition. The sight had the power to absolutely convince me to take a moment out of my hectic morning to actually appreciate the nature of Montreal and its direct connection to Concordia University and its campus. I realized my moment in the painting studio was actually a great representation of campus life from my perspective as a first year student in Fine Arts.”
Here's what three of our judges, Jessica Auer, Adad Hannah and Linda Rutenberg had to say about the winning photographs. We will have more from our winners in the October 19 issue of the NOW e-newsletter.
Jessica Auer
I was looking for images that stood out from the hundreds of entries. We saw many photographs of Concordia buildings and student life at Concordia but the ones that took an imaginative approach garnered more attention.
1
The grand prize winner, Basma Baydoun, presented a preconceived idea and staged it for the camera, yet the photo still retains a feeling of spontaneity. The quick sketch and torn edges of the notepaper reflect the photographer's swift wit. I also enjoy how the photographer's outstretched hand offers a sense of self-portrait, set within the campus landscape.
2
Cristian Zamfir, with his puzzle image, found a great solution to blending Concordia's architecture with student involvement.
3
Alana Lantincic showed us an unfamiliar view of the downtown campus that reflects the University's place within the urban fabric.
Adad Hannah
1
Every photograph ever produced in any genre is a blend of truth and fiction. The winning entry appears at first to be a not-so-well rendered visual trick, but in fact this image speaks eloquently about the production of images and one's experience of space. The inclusion of the hand completes the path from viewer into the image and down the imagined path that those familiar with Concordia know is also really there behind the piece of paper.
2
Many of the submissions used a lot of Photoshop, but this entry used it towards an interesting end. I also found it puzzling (excuse the pun) that the woman is holding what a viewer assumes to be the "missing piece" until we see that there is another piece missing. I assumed that this other missing piece is a symbolic nod to the viewer, presumably also someone from the Concordia community who is about to place the other piece — in this way the viewer is engaged.
3
This photograph was a subtler submission than many of the other photographs, and shows an odd angle of the Concordia neighbourhood. The shift of colour makes the photograph float in a somewhat timeless space without being too dreamy. As a former Concordia Fine Arts student I also recognized that it was taken from the fine arts building on Rene Levesque, and therefore tells you something about itself that is not shown directly in the image.
Linda Rutenberg
1
All of us loved this image because of the structure of the image but also because it was very fresh, humourous and thoughtful. We liked the way the photographer incorporated themselves into the drawing. It also has student life and gives a sense of where the university is located: It's downtown, so it gives a sense of the street, but at the same time there's this juxtaposition of the photographer and their hand and their work and how it's a part of the institution.
2
We felt this was a nice interpretation. The photographer here went to the trouble of trying to find a creative way of making it more thoughtful and talking about student life — that all the students are a part of Concordia. We liked the meaning of it. It was a fresh approach.
3
This image was one of the only views from the Visual Arts building looking back towards Concordia. It's muted in colour, almost impressionistic. It talks about how the university is downtown — part of the urban landscape, part of the downtown core. We also liked the view. It has a non traditonal view of the buildings in the background. You get a a feeling of the view from out the window, which becomes inspirational for painters and students who are in the building. It uses pale yellows and oranges and greens and it's very subdued. It's a sort of timeless picture in some ways.
An honorable mention from the judges goes to the following pictures:
“Spider's eyeview from Concordia's 11th floor”
by Berengere Marin Dubuard (Student)
“Reflection” by Debra Lee McInnis (Student)
“Inside view of Concordia's Symmetry”
by Jesus-Rogelio Perez-Buendia (Student)
