Press release. Rotterdam March 23, 2020

    Introducing Fotomat, a new online platform for building visual websites.

    Playfully discover the best way to present photography and video projects online with Fotomat, the new browser based tool for building visual websites.


    Design settings, layouts, and gallery types yield hundreds of options for customization, and the ability to seamlessly blend photography and video provide powerful new storytelling tools. Think of it as a playground to explore and uncover the best way to share your vision with the world.


    Fotomat was built by the makers of Viewbook, a photo sharing platform and portfolio website builder for professionals that was founded in 2009. Over the past two years the Fotomat team worked with artists, educators, and photo industry professionals as part of a publication called “Transformations, Exploring Changes in and Around Photography” (Viewbook, 2018). During this process it became apparent that there is a need for new and different ways to show image based work on the internet. Disciplinary boundaries are blurred more and more every day, and hordes of image makers are mixing video with still photography and other media in their work. They are looking for new ways to tell stories. To fill this void, the observations and ideas learned from Transformations have been applied to Fotomat and will benefit anyone looking to make a visual website, be it a simple portfolio or an immersive online exhibition.


    “With our system your site takes on its own life. It starts one way, but much like a research project, it grows as you learn more and more about it. We encourage users to play and experiment to find what works. It should be fun to build your website, not frustrating,” says Rien Swagerman, co-founder and director of Fotomat. Fotomat is a framework with a series of parameters that allow you to shape your unique vision in a simple, playful way. Swagerman says, “There are piles of site building services on the internet. Their templates force you to remove placeholder content before creating your own site. That’s ‘fine,’ but they rarely look right because they were not designed for your work. We don’t use templates. Our sites evolve with you and your work. We provide the tools you need to find a website that is uniquely yours.”   


    Fotomat’s harmonious integration of still and moving images is an industry first. “Our users surprise us everyday with the combinations they come up with. They mix different types of galleries with different media and text. It’s inspiring” says Swagerman.


    Another advantage is that there is no pressure or deadline for designing a site. Fotomat trials are eternal, and there is no need to pay until you are ready for the world to see your work. 


    To highlight the features and possibilities of the platform, Fotomat initiated Fotomat Watch. Watch is a podium for thoroughly researched and focused projects that use still and moving imagery in inventive ways. It also provides a place to share media rich stories with an international group of peers. The goal is to create a living library of real stories told from scores of perspectives, on a variety of subjects, while giving both the artist and the platform exposure.


    Sign up and find out more at fotomat.app.

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