About
As part of the 2026 Helsinki Analog Festival, The Finnish Darkroom Association and The Finnish Museum of Photography invite artists, researchers, and practitioners to submit abstracts for the Symposium for Artistic Research in Analog Photography, held on 11–12 April 2026 in Helsinki. The symposium will be held in fully hybrid form, and streamed to participants in real time.
This two-day symposium brings together international voices exploring how analog image-making — including still and moving images — shapes contemporary artistic practice. In line with the festival’s focus on embodiment, materiality, and ecological responsibility, the symposium highlights sustainable and ecological darkroom practices and analog processes as forms of resistance to digital acceleration.
The Helsinki Analog Festival celebrates analog and handcrafted art, with the 2026 edition focusing on the theme BODY. In addition to the symposium, the programme features art and book exhibitions, analog film screenings, workshops, talks, and a photography competition for young people.
Themes (including but not limited to):
- Artistic research exploring analog or hybrid methods- Darkroom methodologies, materiality, and embodied making (BODY theme)
- Sustainability and ecological practices in analog photography
- Slow processes as counterpoints to digital speed
- Expanded analog practices: installation, performance, sculpture
- Analog moving image: 8mm, 16mm, experimental film, cameraless film
- Archives, memory, and the material life of photographs
- Pedagogy, community engagement, and collective practices
- Alternative and experimental analog techniques
Presentation Format:
- Paper, artist presentations, or screenings/film demonstrations
- Duration: 20 minutes + 10 minutes Q&A
- Presentations may include still images, moving images, or material demonstrations.
Important information:
We warmly welcome submissions from artists and researchers at all career stages and from all regions. The symposium will be conducted in English. We look forward to receiving your proposals and welcoming you to Helsinki in April 2026.
Please apply by completing the application form below and submitting personal details, an abstract, and a short bio. Submission is free of charge.
Submission Deadline
Monday, 16 February 2026 at 12:00 PM London Time (GMT)
Notification of Acceptance
22 February 2026
Practical Information about Symposium:
What: Sustainable Body – Symposium on Artistic Research in Analog Practices
When: 11.-12.4.2026
Where: Both online and in the Process Space of the Finnish Museum of Photography, Tallberginkatu 1 G, 00180 Helsinki, Finland
The museum is situated in the cultural centre Cable Factory:
https://www.valokuvataiteenmuseo.fi/en
Tickets:
https://holvi.com/shop/pimiotaiteilijat/
Prices:
Full price in person at Helsinki 100€
Student / Independent Researcher in person at Helsinki 50€
Online participation 40€
Contact and questions:
Katri Krohn Lassila
Director of the Symposium
katri.krohnlassila@gmail.com