CONTACT is an annual month long festival of photography with over 1000 local, national and international artists at more than 200 venues across the Greater Toronto Area in May. Founded as a not-for-profit organization 14 years ago, CONTACT is devoted to celebrating, and fostering an appreciation of the art and profession of photography. As the largest photography event in the world, and a premiere cultural event in Toronto, CONTACT stimulates excitement and discussion among a diverse audience that has grown to over 1.5 million and is focused on cultivating even greater interest and participation this year. THEME Pervasive Influence Exploring the social and political consequences of the medium of photography, in a world devoted to the image. As technology evolves we witness the transformation of photography alongside the shifting social, political and cultural events of our times. In this era of instant information the image is stimulating unprecedented change in the way we communicate. In 1964 Marshall McLuhan wrote of the photograph as "the brothel without walls". He described photographs as "dreams that money can buy" which could be "hugged and thumbed more easily than public prostitutes." If we consider his metaphor within today’s global culture rife with image saturation, is the illusion images create now preferable to reality? Has the authority of the photograph been enhanced over time? Does it command our choices and grow stronger as the technology evolves? Or is photography losing its power to communicate ideas? Is its ability to convey meaning now diluted by the widespread dissemination of images? CONTACT 2010 will consider the ways in which photography informs and transforms human behavior. The festival will recognize the influence of Marshall McLuhan, on the 30th anniversary year of his death. We will present images that examine connections between mass media, advertising, art and photography. This includes conceptual approaches to photography that utilize the codes of advertising, the language of consumerism, the stylization of marketing campaigns and the force of propaganda. Photojournalism and socially concerned documentary photography will provide a realist-based examination of the emotional and political impact of images and their effect on society and culture. CONTACT 2010 will explore the personal and social consequences of the medium of photography, in a world devoted to the image. EXHIBITIONS 2010 Theme | Primary Exhibitions | Public Installations | Featured Exhibitions | Open Exhibitions PROGRAMS Portfolio Reviews | Magnum Workshop | TVO Films | Talks | Events