OPEN CALL: ATLAS LAB Masterclass “When the Story Becomes a Book” | Instructors: BLOW UP PRESS & Yumi Goto | Apply by September 15, 2026 (23:59 JST)

When does a project become a book—not simply a sequence of images, but a form capable of carrying a story into the world?

Reminders Photography Stronghold welcomes BLOW UP PRESS, an independent publisher based in Warsaw, Poland, for an ATLAS LAB Masterclass taking place in Kyoto and Tokyo.

Participants will bring a project currently in development—one involving photography, visual expression or visual storytelling—and reconsider the story at its centre through the intersecting perspectives of editing, design and publishing.

What is the project trying to communicate? From whose point of view is it being told? Why does it need to become a book? How might photographs, texts, documents, archives, drawings and other materials be brought together so that the story becomes clearer, deeper and more capable of reaching others?

Taking BLOW UP PRESS’s motto, “When the story matters,” as its point of departure, the masterclass brings together the publisher’s story-driven editorial practice, content-led approach to book design and perspective as an independent publishing house with RPS’s long-term experience in project development, editing, the ethics of representation and photobook production.

The masterclass will be led by Grzegorz Kosmala and Aneta Kowalczyk of BLOW UP PRESS, together with RPS curator Yumi Goto.

Both the Kyoto and Tokyo editions will follow the same structure: a three-day first session, three self-directed work days, and a three-day second session. A public presentation will be held on the Sunday following the second session.

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ABOUT THE ATLAS LAB MASTERCLASS

ATLAS LAB is an experimental workshop series organised by Reminders Photography Stronghold, inviting practitioners from a wide range of disciplines extending beyond photography and bookmaking.

Through PHOTOBOOK AS OBJECT and PHOTOBOOK MASTERCLASS, RPS has continued to explore how an artist’s questions can take form as a book, moving across photographs, texts, archives, letters, moving images, objects and other materials.

In this masterclass with BLOW UP PRESS, participants will revisit—and, where necessary, take apart—their existing body of work or dummy. They will reconsider the central story, the author’s position, editing, sequence, text, materials, design and book structure. By examining how publishers, editors and designers read a project and identify its possibilities and unresolved questions, participants will clarify the structure their work requires and the next challenges they need to address.

Through this process of testing and reconsideration, participants will work towards a dummy or a physical prototype that holds the emerging logic of the book. Completion for its own sake is not the goal. Even if a finished dummy is not reached during the masterclass, each participant should leave with something tangible: a structure that can be tested, questioned and carried into the next stage of production.

Please note that the next edition of PHOTOBOOK AS OBJECT, RPS’s photobook-making workshop held annually since 2014, is currently planned for autumn 2027 or later. Further details will be announced once the schedule has been confirmed.

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THE MASTERCLASS AND PUBLICATION

This masterclass is not intended to select artists or projects for publication by BLOW UP PRESS. Participation does not guarantee publication by BLOW UP PRESS.

It is a space in which to examine, through the perspectives of publishers, editors and designers, what kind of book a story might become; what is currently missing from the project; and what responsibilities and preparation are required before a book can enter public life.

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INSTRUCTORS

 ⚫︎ Grzegorz Kosmala
      BLOW UP PRESS
 ⚫︎ Aneta Kowalczyk
     BLOW UP PRESS
 ⚫︎ Yumi Goto
     Reminders Photography Stronghold

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SCHEDULE AND VENUE

The Kyoto and Tokyo editions will follow essentially the same programme. Applicants should select their preferred venue on the application form. If you are able to attend either venue, please indicate this on the form.

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【KYOTO】
First Session | Three Days
Friday 5–Sunday 7 February 2027

Self-Directed Work Days<
Monday 8–Wednesday 10 February 2027

Second Session | Three Days
Thursday 11–Saturday 13 February 2027

Public Presentation
Sunday 14 February 2027

Venue
RPS KYOTO PAPEROLES
603 Oimatsu-cho, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan

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【TOKYO】
First Session | Three Days
Friday 19–Sunday 21 February 2027

Self-Directed Work Days
Monday 22–Wednesday 24 February 2027

Second Session | Three Days
Thursday 25–Saturday 27 February 2027

Public Presentation
Sunday 28 February 2027

Venue
Reminders Photography Stronghold
2-38-5 Higashimukojima, Sumida-ku, Tokyo, Japan

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The detailed daily schedule, including starting and finishing times, will be provided to confirmed participants.

Applicants must be able to attend the full programme, including the Self-Directed Work Days and the public presentation.

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PROGRAMME OVERVIEW

During the first three days, the instructors will present relevant case studies, participants will introduce their projects, and the group will engage in collective editing, discussion and individual feedback.

Participants will examine the central story, the author’s position, social and historical contexts, editing, sequence, and the roles of texts and other materials. Each participant will then define the questions and direction to pursue during the iSelf-Directed Work Days..

Over the following three days, participants will independently re-edit photographs and materials, test different structures, and develop rough dummies or prototypes based on the discussions from the first session.

During the second three-day session, participants will present their reworked projects and examine the relationships between story, design, materials and format. Through feedback from the different perspectives of a publisher, editor, designer and curator, they will assess the current state of their work and identify the questions that should guide its next stage.

A public presentation by the participants will be held on the day following the second session.

The programme may be adjusted in response to the participating projects and their development during the masterclass. Confirmed participants will receive further information about the detailed process.

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WHO SHOULD APPLY

This masterclass is intended for people who:
– are developing a long-term project involving photography, visual expression or visual storytelling;
– are considering developing their project as a photobook or artist book;
– work not only with photographs but also with texts, documents, archives, drawings, moving images or other materials;
– are willing to critically reconsider an existing edit or dummy;
– can engage with differing perspectives while continuing to develop the work through their own judgment.

A completed dummy is not required. However, projects must have moved beyond the initial idea stage. Applicants should already have a substantial body of photographs or other materials and be actively developing the work as a concrete project.

There are no restrictions concerning age, nationality or years of experience.

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NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS

Approximately 8–10 participants per venue.

If applications exceed the available places, participants may be selected based on the submitted materials.

The call will not close early, regardless of the number of applications received.

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PARTICIPATION FEE

JPY 99,000 including tax

Printing, binding, paper and all other production costs are not included in the participation fee.
Travel, accommodation and meals are the responsibility of each participant.

Selected applicants must pay the participation fee by the specified deadline. Participation will be confirmed upon receipt of payment.

Payment instructions and the cancellation policy will be provided to selected applicants.

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LANGUAGE

The masterclass will be conducted primarily in English.

Fluency in spoken English is not required. However, it is not feasible to provide continuous consecutive interpretation throughout the class.

Participants are expected to use their own smartphones, computers and translation or interpreting applications as needed, enabling them to take part in dialogue with instructors and fellow participants from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds while helping the class move forward smoothly.

Rather than relying passively on interpretation, participants should be willing to make active use of the tools available to them.

Many participants in our workshops have limited spoken English. In practice, the use of translation and interpreting applications has made it possible for them to participate meaningfully in both dialogue and production.

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HOW TO APPLY

Please refer to the application form for all required information and submission materials.
Application Form : https://forms.gle/ZD6sL87SdeSn4Air7

Please contact the email address below only if you encounter a technical problem with the application process, such as being unable to submit the form successfully.

Contact
ATLAS LAB MASTERCLASS / Reminders Photography Stronghold
atlas-lab@reminders-project.org

• When contacting us, please use “ATLAS LAB MASTERCLASS Application Form” as the subject line.
• Before contacting us, please read the application guidelines and application form carefully. As a general rule, we will not respond individually to questions concerning information already provided in these materials.
• Do not use file-transfer services with expiring links.
• Applications with incomplete submission materials may not be considered.

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APPLICATION DEADLINE AND RESULTS

Application Deadline
Tuesday 15 September 2026, 23:59 Japan Standard Time

Notification of Selection Results
By Sunday 20 September 2026

Selected applicants will be required to complete payment by Wednesday 30 September 2026. Participation will be confirmed upon receipt of payment.

We are unable to respond to individual inquiries concerning selection decisions.

Selected applicants will receive information by email regarding payment, required materials and the daily schedule.

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ABOUT BLOW UP PRESS

BLOW UP PRESS is an independent publishing house founded in Warsaw, Poland, in 2012.

Under the motto “When the story matters,” BLOW UP PRESS publishes photobooks, artist books and other publications rooted in visual storytelling. Its books engage with the complexities of contemporary society and human experience, and are shaped not only by visual qualities but also by the stories the works contain and the structures through which those stories can reach readers.

The publisher collaborates with photographers and artists around the world, from emerging practitioners to internationally established figures. Its publications have received recognition from numerous international book and design awards.

Since 2020, BLOW UP PRESS has organised the BUP Book Award, created to bring significant and urgent subjects into public discourse through the form of the photobook. RPS curator Yumi Goto has also served as a jury member for the award.

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INSTRUCTOR PROFILES

GRZEGORZ KOSMALA
Founder of BLOW UP PRESS, Grzegorz Kosmala oversees the publishing house’s activities and represents it at international book fairs, photography festivals and portfolio reviews. In publishing projects, he works closely with artists on concept, editing, sequence and text, identifying the central story and developing the direction needed to bring the work into the public sphere as a publication.

ANETA KOWALCZYK
Aneta Kowalczyk is the book designer behind BLOW UP PRESS publications. She reads across the different elements that make up a project—including photographs, texts, documents and archives—and seeks a book structure that emerges from the particular demands of each story. Her publications have received wide recognition through book design and photobook awards in Poland and internationally.

YUMI GOTO
Yumi Goto is an independent curator and co-founder and co-director of Reminders Photography Stronghold and RPS KYOTO PAPEROLES. She works with long-term photographic projects rooted in social and historical contexts, including conflict, social issues, human rights and women’s issues, through curating, editing, publishing and mentoring. Her collaborative practice identifies the points of connection between an artist’s personal experience and wider society, working across photographs, texts, documents and archives to develop the structure of both the work and the photobook.