about · editorial · commissioned work · biographical note · environmental landscape definition · contact · site
Miguel Proença (1963) is a Lisbon, Portugal born photographer. Currently based in Portugal (about Lisbon and Tavira) where he works and studies in photography and agricultural systems. The photography work is frequently initiated from a documentary/ reportage standpoint and undergoes an “estrangement” process. The result frequently touches on formalist and surrealist aesthetics, informed by disciplines other than photography. These include painting, sculpture, video, sound and music in a collaborative approach to the creative process.
editorial · commissioned work
Editorial work included Milano Free Magazine and various national newspapers including Expresso and Diário de Notícias and local ones. Commissioned work has concentrated and specialised over the last decade on the reproduction of works of art. Other commission and editorial work has been in various specialty areas namely architecture, environmental portrait, landscape. Formats used include digital and analogical black and white large formats. Commission work is available upon request; samples can be found in the National Library.
bio(graphical) note · about
Early photography practise dates back to the 1970s in the UK. First at Clayesmore School and later on scholarship at the Bournemouth and Poole College of Art and Design (1979-80). Additional technical skills acquired at the Instituto Português de Fotografia (1981-83).
During the 1998-2001 period continuing studies included documentary photography with Leonardo Brogioni, and photographic language and theory with Emilio de Tullio and Roberto Signorini in Milan, at the John Kaverdash School and at the Círcolo Filológico Milanese. The Milan work concentrated on street photography, including the covers of Free Milano Magazine (2000-01). Other work during this time included Fiera de Sinegallia (1998-1999), Arts and Traps (1999-2000) and the beginning of Alqueva Dam work (2000-2004), with the latter two, more political statements, also published as photo books.
Currently continues a formal theoretical development route, started with the conclusion of a postgraduate degree in Photographic Studies (IADE, 2003-05). This was followed by a master’s degree in Art History at the Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas (FCHS) of the Universidade Nova de Lisboa [dissertation title: “Fernando Lemos: “Eu sou a fotografia”” (Fernando Lemos: “I am photography”) supervised by Joana Cunha Leal and Margarida Acciaiuoli]. Currently paused the a doctoral thesis at the Faculdade de Belas Artes (U. Lisboa, 2010–), working on environmental landscape photography.
environmental landscape definition
With formal training and practise in agronomy, soil science and farming systems research and extension(BSc University of Florida, 1989), photographic work taps into this body of knowledge, where social issues and pressures resulting from environmental changes serve to ground and orient the construction of documental work. This integration of life/social sciences training has additionally taken the author towards the idea of an environmental landscape definition. The result is a work-in-progress (ie environmental landscape definition). The outcome serves to formulate questions and target research project work, currently focused on Portugal.
Current work outlook is on sustainable agro-forestry systems practise and documenting this work as it begins to take shape in search of an environmental landscape definition.
contact
miguelproenca@me.com
site · about · international domain name (idn)
This website is dedicated to photo work, from long term documental and environmental landscape, to more experimental work. The experimental work is in areas such as portrait, environmental landscape definition, cityscape, multimedia and reportage . The resulting photographs are presented in portfolio format, distinct from prints (ie size, texture).
The previous current international domain name (IDN), miguel-proença.com (2013 – ) was the transition of miguelproenca.com (2004-13). The IDN is written as xn--miguel-proena-tgb.com (ASCII code). This “garbling” raises several issues, including spelling and accessibility. For interesting insights and facts on IDNs see the article by Stéphane Bortzmeyer, here. The site has now moved to the current and more writable miguel-proenca.pt. Enough said …
·mp · 2024.