Co-Production:
Queerness & Photography
with Zbigniew Kotkiewicz
Course Structure: 4 × 3 hour zoom seminars
Course Venue: Online
Course Dates: April 2025
Course Fee: £25
The course focuses on the co-production realised by queer culture and photography.
It gives participants an opportunity to delve into the legacy of queer events (performance, nightlife, activism) and that of photographers documenting them.
You will explore the history and practicalities of documenting queer culture and be given a framework and support for starting a documentary photography project.
Participants will engage with review and critiques of their camera work and be supported in editing and presenting their photos.
All participants will have the opportunity to include their work in a module-zine published by Queer Extension.
Note that this module is appropriate for beginners and those with more experience but all participants must have access to a camera. See requirements below.
This course is for:
LGBTQIA+ individuals or allies who are intersted in queer culture and photography
Individiuals at the begninning of, or with some experience with, a photographic practice
Zbigniew Kotkiewicz (he/him) is a lens based artist and educator. He is interested in exploring common denominators across different genres. Zbigniew has been photographing queer techno, indie and fetish scenes since 2013. Over the years he documented many club nights in London and Berlin, such as Blanc, Dirty Diana, Gegen, Kaos, Papa Loko, Pink Glove, Klub Verboten and a literary salon Naked Boys Reading.
His focus has also been on documenting social movements and demonstrations as well as theatre and dance productions. Zbigniew’s photographic work has been shown in several group exhibitions including Physical Distancing, London Alt-Nightlife in a post-covid era, Electrowerkz, London (2021), Blueprints of Hope: Celebrating LGBTQ+ London, Octagon Gallery, University College London (2023), and At Home in Hackney: A community photographed 1970s-today, Hackney Museum, London (2023-24). Zbigniew’s photographs are also included in Bishopsgate Institute’s LGBTQ+ archives.
He gained his educator experience while performing as Folkestone Triennial’s artist in residence, a sessional tutor for Photography in Film module at Canterbury Christ Church University, a guest speaker for The Business of Nightlife module at Syracuse University and a guest artist at Garde-Robe Records’ residency programme on Rinse France. Zbigniew’s current nightlife photography publications include Pornceptual Magazine, Docu Book: Vol 19 Best of Documentary & Street Photography and roughcast magazine.
Images: all by Zbigniew Kotkiewicz