The 23rd edition of the Biel/Bienne Festival of Photography will explore the theme of overflow, both real and virtual, in today’s society. On the internet, a “flood” is an action that inundates the network and saturates digital forums, rendering them unusable. Vast quantities of information are shared every day by more than four billion internet users, whether they are aware of it or not. This constant stream of passing data has an impact on society that cannot be fully grasped, but it also presents opportunities for both individual and social development.
This year’s edition will present works of photography that examine the often insidious overflows into the private sphere, the political excesses that confront humanity, our technological frenzy and the extreme exploitation of essential resources in contemporary society. The photographic image is a reflection of our practices: today it gets swept along in the flow of data, and like the individual it sometimes becomes unreadable or invisible. The exhibitions will help to make the image re-emerge, bringing to the surface the societal contradictions that it sometimes depicts and will let the photograph leave its frame to set the viewer’s thoughts in motion.