CAPTURED IN CODE – VIRTUAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Capturing fleeting moments, expressing creativity, engaging with communities – virtual photography as an emerging medium offers all this and much more.
Captured in Code is dedicated to this practice, which has so far received little attention in exhibition contexts, and makes its aesthetic and methodological diversity visible. Virtual photography is created within digital game worlds: through screenshotting, camera-like modes, or self-developed techniques, people and scenes are captured in images, perspectives are explored, and visual narratives are crafted. Composition and timing are just as essential as in classical photography – yet the light is simulated, and the motives originate from programmed environments. They are code-based images.
That the resulting works are nevertheless unique and relatable, that they reveal something about the photographers and their interactions with our analog world, highlights the complex field of tension that virtual photography opens up. It situates itself between analog and digital, between reality and simulation, between individuality and collectivity, while simultaneously prompting us to question these binary categories and explore the spaces in between. The exhibition presents a cross-section of the practice: works from online communities as well as from artists who capture virtual landscapes, people, and cities in their own distinctive style, or who deconstruct the textured art worlds of video games through deliberately induced visual glitches.
Captured in Code is aimed at both an art-interested audience and those engaged with technology and gaming. Accompanying workshops, guided tours, and an interactive photo station invite visitors to experience video games from a new perspective – as cultural spaces of creation where creative image-making, aesthetic experimentation, and communal practices converge.
The exhibition is curated by Isabelle Hamm (https://mekuwi.phil-fak.uni-koeln.de/personen/wissenschaftliche-mitarbeiter-innen/isabelle-hamm-ma), Thomas Spies (https://thomspies.net/about/), and Sebastian Möring (https://sebastianmoering.com/).
Location
Kulturort Depot Dortmund, Immermannstraße 29, 44147 Dortmund-Innenstadt-Nord
https://www.depotdortmund.de/595-captured-in-code-virtuelle-fotografie.html
Dates
June 11–21, 2026
Opening Event
June 11, 2026, 7:00 PM
Opening hours
Mon–Fri 11:00 AM – 8:30 PM
Sat & Sun 2:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Opening hours may vary due to operational reasons.
Admission
Free entry.
On June 13, 2026 at 11 am and on June 19, 2026 at 6 pm, the curatorial team will offer guided tours (in German) through the exhibition. Participation is free of charge. For planning purposes, a brief registration in advance via email (diaskollektiv@gmail.com) is appreciated. Guided tours in English can be requested via email as well.
Two Workshops (in English and German) accompany the exhibition:
Workshop I:
Off Script: In-Game Photography
Led by: Natalie Maximova
Language: English
Date: June 21, 2026, 11:00–14:30
Location: Koproduktionslabor (https://www.koproduktionslabor.de/) / Leonie-Reygers-Terrasse 2, 44137
More info https://www.depotdortmund.de/595-captured-in-code-virtuelle-fotografie.html or apply here https://cryptpad.fr/form/#/2/form/view/RfOCNpjvCrMfveLJu6Sxj2IJaeZv9YBTPcFgWAPSBaI/ directly.
Workshop II:
Auf Pause: Einführung in die virtuelle Fotografie
Led by: Prof. Dr. Federico Alvarez Igarzábal
Language: German
Date: June 21, 2026, 14:30–18:00
Location: Koproduktionslabor (https://www.koproduktionslabor.de/) / Leonie-Reygers-Terrasse 2, 44137
More info https://www.depotdortmund.de/595-captured-in-code-virtuelle-fotografie.html or apply here https://cryptpad.fr/form/#/2/form/view/RfOCNpjvCrMfveLJu6Sxj2IJaeZv9YBTPcFgWAPSBaI/ directly.