Open Your Eyes photo festival 2023
In the heart of the city of Zurich, world-class science will meet world-class photography from 8 September 2023. Together, they are creating a new format for communication with a focus on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
An alliance of world-class photography and world-class science: that is the short formula of the photo festival "Open your Eyes: Transforming our World," which will be on view as an open-air exhibition in the heart of Zurich from 8 September to 15 October 2023.
Large open-air installations intertwine documentary photography and scientific knowledge in 17 exhibition islands to create a plea for peace, tolerance and togetherness - totally in the sense of the 2030 Agenda on global sustainable development. Through the aesthetic magic of picture narratives, the gardens, streets, and squares of Zurich are transformed into a picturesque city. Public space becomes the setting for a holistic work of art whose energy culminates with research findings that touch us all. This results in surprising perspectives full of sensual creativity. The aim of Open Your Eyes is to invite visitors to engage with the challenging issues of our time in an empathetic way and to be amazed by great images. Nature, beauty, art, insight - and inspiration to think about the world and shape it in a sustainable way.
Stop. Think. Feel. Act.
The photographic works presented are not to be understood as illustrations of the SDGs, but as comments and annotations in the sense of Cornell Capa's "Concerned Photographers". Capa chose this term to describe works that go beyond documenting events and show them with a humanitarian impulse. This school of thought is also known as a concept in the context of science: The term "Concerned Scientists" hints to the use of rigorous, independent science to solve our planet's most pressing problems.
World-class contributions from photography and science
While the 42 exhibiting photographers are already known, the contributions from the ETH community are currently being compiled. The ETH Sustainability team curates and prepares the collection of ETH contributions for the photo festival. Anyone from the ETH community interested in presenting a contribution from research and innovation can contact directly.