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Purple Eye
The Purple Eye collective develops a photographic practice closely linked to contemporary feminist movements, particularly women’s* demonstrations, which constitute a central field of observation, engagement and image production in their approach. In these spaces of struggle, photography becomes a tool for documentation, a gesture of solidarity and a political act: it records bodies in motion, forms of collective presence and slogans, but also the emotions and dynamics of support that permeate these gatherings.
Their work on demonstrations is not limited to a reportage approach. It is a situated practice, attentive to the conditions under which images appear and what they make possible in the public space: recognition, transmission, memory and the strengthening of alliances. The images produced by Purple Eye thus contribute to theconstruction of a visual archive of contemporary feminist struggles, where the collective takes precedence over the individual and where visibility becomes a shared political issue.
Organised as an association, Purple Eye is a collaborative platform that aims to increase the public visibility of each of its members. Driven by feminist convictions and values of sisterhood, exchange and solidarity rather than competition, the collective seeks to overcome the structural obstacles that women* face in accessing a professional market. Created during the 2019 feminist strike under the name Frauenstreikfotografinnen*, the collective then had 35 members — women and non-binary photographers. Since then, it has continued to grow, gradually establishing itself as a space for mutual support, image production and critical reflection on working conditions in the field of photography.
Within the framework of the festival, Purple Eye’s work resonates directly with the theme of vulnerability as a common good. The events photographed appear as spaces where fragility and power coexist: places where bodies and narratives are exposed, but also where active solidarity and political reconfiguration take place. Their practice favours an aesthetic of proximity and process. The images, often produced in collective and changing contexts, reject spectacularisation in favour of a focus on relationships, gestures and forms of mutual aid. They shift photography towards a relational function: not only showing, but accompanying, supporting and enabling a presence.
At Purple Eye, images are never an end in themselves; they are part of a network of practices, struggles and collaborations. They act as a space for co-visibility and sharing, where fairer and more inclusive forms of representation are negotiated. Through this approach, the collective affirms photography as a tool for emancipation and as a place for developing the common good.
Women*: women and non-binary individuals involved
Co-curator: Anne Wyrsch
Year of production: 2019
Photoforum Pasquart
Photoforum Pasquart
Faubourg du Lac 71
2502 Biel
