Documentary Projects Shortlist

It is the little things that distinguish us as communities and create the settings for our lives, and establishing and following traditions is what sets us apart from other groups. Every year, people gather close to the Danish city of Roskilde for the Roskilde Festival, one of the largest culture and music festivals in Europe. Before the festival opens there is a gradual build-up in the campsite, which plays host to art shows, mini concerts and film screenings; while the festival revolves around music, the essence of the experience lies in camaraderie with others. Many people have established ways in which they set up their tents and construct creative camp spaces, and for these groups, camp life takes on a life of its own, with rites and traditions, and specific ways of doing things - of living.

In place of the traditional word attach the word “portrayal.” From a semantics perspective it may seem a subtle nuance, but in truth, Juul’s photography ‘portrait’ to describe his black & white photographs of anonymous strangers, Jens Juul prefers to is a collective visual statement ‘portraying’ the human condition intertwined at its most vulnerable points of truth. Blunt, almost savage, in their revelations and vulnerability, Juul’s images blur the lines between documentary, , and fine art references.