The Red Thread with Awoiska Van Der Molen

Find your artistic root

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GOAL

* Find the red thread in your work: what defines you as a photographer

* Create one or two photographs that integrate this red thread

* Enhance the knowledge on your work through the identification of your artist root

The expression “red thread” originates from the Greek mythology where King Theseus found his way out of the Minotaur’s labyrinth by following a “red thread”. It is a metaphor on a common thread, a guiding idea that comes back over and over and it ensures the coherency of a whole by being the reference point.

BIOGRAPHY

Awoiska van der Molen (1972) is a Dutch artist photographer.
She is known for her monumental black and white analogue images that represent her experience of the primordial and psychological space in the world she photographs.

In 2019 Van der Molen was shortlisted for the Prix Pictet, the global award in photography and sustainability.

In 2017 her work was shortlisted for the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize and was she the recipient of the Larry Sultan Photography Award 2017. Van der Molen was awarded the Japanese Hariban Award in 2014 and was finalist at the Hyères Festival International de Mode et de Photographie in France in 2011. Her first monograph ‘Sequester’ was nominated for the Paris Photo / Aperture First Book Prize in 2014 and it received Silver Medal for ‘Best Books from all over the World’ in Leipzig, Germany.

Van der Molen studied Architecture & Design followed by photography at Minerva Art Academy Groningen and Hunter City University in New York. In 2003 she completed her MFA in Photography at the St. Joost Academy in Breda, Netherlands.

Program

This will be a hands on workshop with shooting sessions, individual assignments, daily group discussion and editing sessions.

You’ll be expected to fully immerse yourself, take risks and push your boundaries in order to move forward into another level in your photography.

ASSIGNMENT BEFORE THE WORKSHOP: An assignment will be given to the participants a few weeks before the workshop begins.

Day 1:
9:30-12:30 - Masterclass – Projections
Awoiska van der Molen will spend time talking about her own work and the different projects she has worked on. She will share her photographic references with the group and talk about the different steps of her photographic path.

13:30-17:30 - Participants works reviews
Participants will be asked to come at the workshop with all their series (finalised and in progress) and the assignment that was given before the workshop. 3 participants will have individual sessions with Awoiska van der Molen in order to identify their red thread.

Day 2:
9:30-11:00 - Masterclass – Projections
Awoiska will give us examples on how she found her red thread and how it gave her confidence when she found the first link between her childhood and the work she is currently doing. How it gave her confidence that she was on the good path because she was close to herself.

11:00-17:30 - Participants works reviews
Participants will be asked to come at the workshop with all their series (finalised and in progress) and the assignment that was given before the workshop. 3 participants will have individual sessions with Awoiska van der Molen in order to identify their red thread.

Shooting sessions
While participants have their individual sessions with Awoiska, the rest of the group will shoot a few photographs following their identified red thread. Once they have moved forward in the definition of their red thread, they can make a start and try to integrate it with the creation of a few photographs.

Day 3:
9:30-17:30

Participants works reviews
Participants will be asked to come at the workshop with all their series (finalised and in progress) and the assignment that was given before the workshop. 3 participants will have individual sessions with Awoiska van der Molen in order to identify their red thread.

Day 4:

9:30-12:30 - Masterclass – Projections
Awoiska van der Molen will spend time talking about her photobooks. She will also talk about how she formed her career as an artist and discuss how an artistic residence works.

13:30-17:30 - Participants works reviews
Each participant makes a short presentation on the red thread they have identified in their work and the photographs they have shot during the workshop. Group review and final discussions.

Teaching language: English.

Workshop hours: 9h30-17h30.

Jul 16 - Jul 19, 2025
4 days in Amsterdam - 1550 €

Early Bird 1450 €
before Apr. 16th

APPLY

Conditions

- Only 9 students will be admitted for each session. Students will be granted admission to the workshop based on a review of a selection of 10 of their photographs.

- The 1.550€ fee does not include transport, accommodation nor on the ground expenses. For participants coming from outside the European Union, please be aware that there is a bank fee when making the payments via bank transfer. In order to avoid them, you can use alternative systems such as Transferwise.

- In order to confirm your application, an advance payment of €100 is advised. Once the application is completed, we will send an email via PayZen to the participant in order to settle the payment. If the candidate is accepted, this amount will be deducted from the overall cost of the workshop.

- In case the participation is not confirmed, he will get a full pay back of the 100€ fee.

- If accepted, the participant will receive a course contract confirming the success of his application by email.

- To confirm registration, the participant must return this contract to us, signed, within ten days, along with payment of 30% of the cost of the workshop. The participant will also receive an invoice.

- The rest of the fee must be paid by the first day of the workshop at the latest.

- A dossier in order to get prepared for the workshop will be sent to the participant at least two weeks before the workshop begins.

- If you're willing to participate in more than one workshop, we do offer a 10% discount on the following workshops' price.

Pre-requisite

- Successful candidates will be expected to arrive with all their works ideally in printed format. They'll also have to arrive comfortable with their equipment and ready to photograph.

- Participants working digitally should bring their own laptops, and everything needed for digital editing.

- Participants are required to find their own accommodation in Amsterdam.

Education material

- Photo books

- Projector and screen

- 1 MAC computer

A technical assistant will be present during the workshop.

After the workshop

- The portfolios produced by each participant will be published on the site of Eyes in Progress.

- Mentors are photography experts such as a photo editors, journalists, creative directors, gallery curators, they will review these portfolios.

- Video interviews in which the students discuss their work, their motivation as photographers, as well as what they learned during the workshop will also be posted on the site. In case the participant is not willing to have his video online, we won't publish it, however, we do encourage to record the video anyways as a practical exercise on how to orally express himself as a photographer.

- Each participant will be given a certificate of completion of the course.

- The participants will be required to evaluate the workshop when it has been completed, to show their level of overall satisfaction and the extent of their acquisition of new skills. These evaluations will help us to improve our workshops.

- If the participant is not willing to have his profile online (portfolio, review, video), we will of course respect his decision and will not publish it.

Deadlines

Applications will be open until June 16th 2025.

- Eyes in Progress reserves the right to cancel groups with less than 7 participants. Students will be given either a full refund or offered a place with an alternative photographer. In the event of a cancellation, students will be given at least 3 weeks advance notice. Eyes in Progress reserves the right to change or alter the program advertised.

- If a participant decides to cancel for whatever reason, this must be confirmed in writing:

. Eyes in Progress will reimburse all the registration costs except for the €100 administrative fee, if the participant informs Eyes in Progress of cancellation at least 3 weeks before the first day of the workshop. Beyond this time limit, Eyes in Progress will charge the following:

. 50% of the cost if cancelled between 6 and 20 days before the workshop commences.

. 100% of the cost if cancelled less than 5 days before the workshop commences.

. All workshops that are commenced but not completed through the fault of the participant need to be paid in full.

- Eyes in Progress is not responsible for reimbursement of travel expenses in case a workshop is cancelled. We recommend that you buy refundable air tickets and/or travel insurance.

SPECIAL NEED ACCESS

Eyes in Progress is committed to using all possible means to enable beneficiaries with disabilities to participate in the workshops. For this, the director of Eyes in Progress will assess all required adaptations and implement them.