The 7th annual FotoWeekDC photography festival launched Friday at its 2014 headquarters, the Former Spanish Ambassador’s Residence. The impressive house had a moderate crowd, deafening music, women handing out long-stem red roses—that soon littered radiators and the floor—and kaleidoscoping lights (you probably saw them all over Instagram).
The launch party featured a few formal exhibitions, along with the winners of their annual contest. FotoWeek has often relegated the contest and local content to an afterthought, so it’s not too much of a surprise to find the contest winners exhibited as such. The images were small and poorly printed, pasted onto black foam core and arranged in a grid. The elementary presentation gave the impression that they ran out of time to finish the installation. (Needless to say, they certainly weren’t meant to be seen during the party under dim colored strobe lights; the other exhibits stayed under gallery lighting.)
