MADRID.- The Spanish Ministry of Culture organizes, under the Spanish Presidency of the European Union and coinciding with the bicentenary of the independence of many Latin American countries, E.CO 2010, a meeting of photo collectives for which are scheduled round tables that will discuss the problems of the photographic world, a workshop and two exhibitions, and other activities that will take place simultaneously in Madrid and Soria.

For the first time in Spain, there will be reunited together 20 photography collectives from Germany (Ostkreuz), Argentina (Sub.Coop), Brazil (Cia de Foto and Garapa) Costa Rica (Collective Wanderer), France (Odessa, Tendance Floue and Transit ), Italy (TerraProject), Mexico (Mondaphoto), Peru (Supay Photos and Versus-Photo), Portugal (KameraPhoto), UK (Documentography), Venezuela (ONG) and Spain (Blank Paper, NoPhoto, Pandora and Noise Photo) as well as a multinational group that represents photographers from Eastern Europe (East & Ost).

For the organization of the event, the Ministry of Culture has the support of the AECID, Spanish Agency of International Cooperation for Development, the company Epson, manufacturer of photographic and digital imaging, with the Town Hall of Soria for activities in that city.

E. CO in Madrid: from 13th to 15th of May will be held in the auditorium of the Ministry of Culture a meeting of photographic collectives, where they will discuss on alternative circuits of visibility and new strategies for the production of photographic projects. They also will establish collaborative networks among members of the photographic community.

In parallel, in Tabacalera’s Old Tobacco Factory, will be held a photographic exhibition related to the environment, curated by Claudi Carreras, that will show the latest works by the 20 collectives, aiming to publicize its current work, specially in the social and documentary areas.

E. CO in Soria: from 16th to 19th May, will develop a workshop in which photographers from all the collectives will photograph the province of Soria. With the resulting work will be created and mounted an exhibition thyat will be presented from 18 May in the former Bank of Spain headquarters.

As part of E. CO in Soria, there will be different activities that will occupy the streets, among them street projections, exhibitions of murals or visual events.