The Embarrassment Show

The Embarrassment Show

After ECAL in June 2015 and Unseen Photo Fair Amsterdam in September 2015, ECAL Bachelor Photography students present "The Embarrassment Show", an exhibition curated by Erik Kessels, cofounder & creative director of KesselsKramer (Amsterdam), at the  NRW-Forum Düsseldorf  from 20 November to 10 January.  --------- The Embarrassment Show A workshop and exhibition curated by Erik Kessels cofounder & creative director KesselsKramer (Amsterdam), with Bachelor Photography students. “Embarrassment is important. If you’re not willing to humiliate yourself, make mistakes and downright fuck up, you should consider working in a cubicle farm. It’s safer there. Because as a creative person, you’ll be called an idiot at least once a day. That’s okay. Making mistakes and risking embarrassment, even failure, is how you make progress. Without it, you’ll be stuck in the same old safe zone: not embarrassed, but not better either. In other words: boring. So if we want to do this thing we love – making stuff – we mustn’t be afraid of looking stupid. In this workshop and exhibition I stretched the abilities of 2nd year ECAL Bachelor Photography students to the limit. By embarrassing themselves they are able to tell a personal, often awkward and risky story. This gives them an opportunity to explore an area of photography which they would probably not have dared to touch.”  Erik Kessels

Workshop (2015) with Milo Keller, Erik Kessels

Students
Zoé Aubry, Gianni Camporota, Arunà Canevascini, Diane Deschenaux, Michaël Devillaz, Elsa Guillet, Hadrien Häner, Tanya Kottler, Quentin Lacombe, Clément Lambelet, Andreas Lumineau, Calypso Mahieu, Gregory Monnerat, Jules Moskovtchenko, Angélique Stehli, Purithat Thongphubal, Marine Vallotton
NRW-Forum Düsseldorf: The Embarrassment Show" Photo ECAL/Jean-Vincent Simonet
NRW-Forum Düsseldorf: The Embarrassment Show" Photo ECAL/Jean-Vincent Simonet
NRW-Forum Düsseldorf: The Embarrassment Show" Photo ECAL/Jean-Vincent Simonet

1/3

Unseen Photo Fair Amsterdam: "The Embarrassment Show" Photo ECAL/Jean-Vincent Simonet
Unseen Photo Fair Amsterdam: "The Embarrassment Show" Photo ECAL/Jean-Vincent Simonet
Unseen Photo Fair Amsterdam: "The Embarrassment Show" Photo ECAL/Jean-Vincent Simonet
Unseen Photo Fair Amsterdam: "The Embarrassment Show" Photo ECAL/Jean-Vincent Simonet
Unseen Photo Fair Amsterdam: "The Embarrassment Show" Photo ECAL/Jean-Vincent Simonet

1/5

ECAL /Jean-Vincent Simonet
ECAL /Jean-Vincent Simonet
ECAL /Jean-Vincent Simonet
ECAL /Jean-Vincent Simonet
ECAL /Jean-Vincent Simonet
ECAL /Jean-Vincent Simonet
ECAL /Jean-Vincent Simonet

1/7

ECAL /Jean-Vincent Simonet
ECAL /Jean-Vincent Simonet
ECAL /Jean-Vincent Simonet
ECAL /Jean-Vincent Simonet

1/4

Tanya Kottler - ECAL
Tanya Kottler - ECAL

1/2

Projets similaires

Film Production – 2026

BA PHOTOGRAPHY

Film Production – 2026

with Julien Bourdeille

Événement Lumineux Through an in-depth exploration of light as a narrative and sensory medium, first-year students created a short film on the theme “Luminous Event.” This project allows them to learn how to manage a complete audiovisual project while mastering the tools of filming, framing, and camera movement.  

Last Minute Risk

BA PHOTOGRAPHY

Last Minute Risk

with Natacha Lesueur

“What is clearly conceived can be clearly expressed, and the words to say it come easily.” Nicholas Boileau, *L’art poétique*. As students embark on their final year of study at ECAL, with their interests and methods taking shape, this final project offers an opportunity to challenge their own rules, established practices and influences, to refuse to settle for the status quo and to take risks.

Suspended Motion

BA PHOTOGRAPHY

Suspended Motion

with Nicolas Poillot

By conceptualizing and producing visual content as part of an editorial series, students will explore the concept of applied photography in a practical, creative, and professional manner, working closely with Art Director Nicolas Poillot.

ANALOG MEDIUM FORMAT WORKSHOP

BA PHOTOGRAPHY

ANALOG MEDIUM FORMAT WORKSHOP

with Anoush Abrar

DRIVE For this week’s theme, “Drive,” first-year photography students were asked to create a portrait shot on medium-format film. Inspired by the sensation of a first driving experience, travel, empowerment, or discovery, the week aimed to explore the relationship between one or more people and a vehicle.

ECAL Light House

BA GRAPHIC DESIGN

BA MEDIA & INTERACTION DESIGN

BA PHOTOGRAPHY

ECAL Light House

with Jean-Vincent Simonet, Léonard Guyot, Florian Pittet (Sigmasix), Vincent Jacquier, Julien Gurtner

During a week of collaborative work, first-year students in the Visual Communication department at ECAL were given the ambitious task of creating a complete audiovisual experience, designing a light and sound architecture based solely on five original musical compositions. Using a central totem-like screen installation and projections on the surrounding walls, enhanced with lasers, they created a visual environment, broadcast in real time, which was presented as a performance to the public at the end of the week. The aim was to construct a universe capable of fully utilizing the space and the various stage elements, inviting the audience to move around and experience the live performance in its entirety. Five cross-functional creative groups, each with a different sound base, were supervised by Jean-Vincent Simonet and Léonard Guyot to produce images and test them throughout the week on the device, which was developed, set up and operated by a sixth group under the supervision of Florian Pittet, Matthieu Minguet and Achille Masson.

Related courses