Public Image Action

Overview

Public Image Action responds to the loss of urban memory and the distortion of representation in fast-changing cities. Through rule-based public photography practice, CPL builds outcomes that can be verified, archived, and sustained over time.
Our objective is to turn lived urban experience into a public record that can be preserved, reviewed, and discussed.

Context

In highly mediated environments, city images are often shaped by short-term attention, commercial narratives, and individual exposure. This accelerates fragmentation of public memory and reduces complex realities into simplified or selective representations.
Many cities still lack long-term, transparent, and accountable mechanisms for image collaboration. Without clear rules and public responsibility, photography can drift toward performance and consumption rather than public value.

How it Works

• City Calls for Participation: Open calls with clear themes, rules, and contribution standards, oriented to civic reality, public space, and social change.
• Public Presentation: Exhibitions, screenings, and community displays that return the work to the city and invite public dialogue.
• Workshops and Public Dialogue: Method-focused sessions and open forums that build shared language, ethics, and interpretability.
• City-to-City Collaboration: Cross-city mutual support based on CPL’s “99+1” cooperation logic, enabling shared frameworks and standards.
• Archiving and Verification: Structured documentation, metadata, and deliverable lists to ensure traceability and continuity.

Expected Outcomes

• Number of participating cities and institutional partners
• Volume of works and structured archival records
• Count of public presentations and civic venues
• Participation in workshops and public dialogues
• Media and public reach, evaluated by content quality and civic value
• Institutional outputs: reusable rules, workflows, and annual documentation

Participation

• Cities and Public Authorities: Provide coordination, civic venues, and cross-department support, with a commitment to transparency and continuity.
• Cultural and Educational Institutions: Co-host, curate, research, and contribute to archiving and public service capacity.
• Media Organisations: Document and publish under public-interest standards, respecting verification and clear rules.
• City-based Photography Organisations and Community Groups: Participate under CPL rules and contribute to execution and community connection.

Baseline principles: rules before reputation, public responsibility before performance, verification before claims.
For partnership inquiries, please contact: cityphoto1985@gmail.com.