Hidden Earth Salons Information

For information on how to enter the salon competitions, please see the main Hidden Earth website.

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What is a Salon?

A "salon" is more than just a competition – it is an opportunity to show your work and to receive feedback from your peers. Somebody has to win the competition element, but the winning is only a part of the process. An equal, if not a more important part of the salons, is that you get to show your work, see the work of others, discuss it and improve yourself. The conference delegates do not just enjoy the winning entry – they enjoy seeing everybody's work and we hope you will also enjoy the chance to show your work to others. We usually run four salons...

• Art Salon — bring your artwork on the day; including cartoons and 3D work, as well as the more traditional artwork
• Photo Salon — entry in advance only; including prints and digital media
• Survey Salon — bring your survey drawings on the day but warn us in advance if they are very large, or if you want to display any other types of work
• Video Media Salon — entry in advance only; including all aspects of video media

For information on how to enter the salon competitions, please see the main Hidden Earth web site.

Artistic, Technical and Aesthetic Qualities

Your work will be assessed with consideration of its artistic, technical and aesthetic qualities...

The Artistic quality of your work will depend on its composition, lighting and subject matter. For a photograph... this may mean that instead of a simple 'point and shoot' approach, you consider how the different elements of your picture fit together. For a video... the term would encompass the storyboard and the skill in editing. An AV work has its own special artistic features – it is not simply a series of still images. The judges will be looking for originality and innovation – has this particular type of photo been seen before? Has a video camera been used this way before?

The Technical qualities show themselves in how the image is presented, and they demonstrate whether you know how to use your equipment. Is the picture in focus? Is it of a sufficient resolution? For a photograph... are there any 'tram-lines' visible on the print. (This is often a significant problem with 'home' printing). Are the colour-depth and image-resolution satisfactory? Has the image been over-sharpened or similarly abused? Are there any compression artefacts visible at a normal viewing distance. Is the photo well-mounted or does it curl up at the edges? For a video... is the image steady? Is the exposure correct? Is the sound free from distortion and clipping? Is the sound free of distracting noises caused by wind or clothing. Have you demonstrated compliance with music copyright laws (e.g. by displaying your licence)?

Aesthetics means, in essence, was the image worth looking at? Was it beautiful, inspiring, shocking, or thought-provoking? Did it appeal to the senses? Will the people who saw it remember it, or did they just stare blankly at it and move on to the next one. In the Video Media salon, a rousing presentation with good music and humorous images could be enjoyed by the audience equally as well as a production which featured notable artistic or technical merit.

Judging

Our salon competitions (Art, Photography, Video and Survey) are usually judged by a panel of three judges. For some specialist prizes additional judges may be included. We choose judges who have a recognised experience and skill.

For example, in the photo salon we try to include a professional cave photographer, an established amateur cave photographer and someone who uses cave photographs professionally, e.g. in the media or publishing industry.

A similar principle applies to the Video Salon where, in addition, at least one of the judges will have experience (professionally or as a recognised amateur) in video editing.

The Art Salon judges are usually drawn from professional artists. With all our salons we also consider inviting an overseas visitor to the conference to participate in the judging if they have the relevant skills and experience. It is not always possible to announce the names of the judges in advance, but their names are published afterwards.

Also see Guidelines for Photo Salon Judges

Announcement of Winners

A list of competition winners is made available to the media on request and is also published on the web site and in our History file. Any reproduction of winning entries is governed by the competition rules and is in accordance with the guidelines of the Artists Bill of Rights Campaign.