*** UPDATE 19/11/25 – SORRY – THIS COURSE IS NOW FULL ***

Sat 18 Jul 2026 – Sat 25 Jul 2026

Overview

This course explores how minimalist photography can change how we see Oxford (and, of course, anywhere else). We will learn how light, space, shape, and silence can say more than detail. Through short talks, walks, and group work, we will study how memory, mood, and place connect.

We will explore the psychology of space and how people form attachments to places. We will look at how we remember scenes, how emotion shapes recall, and how we often feel more than we see. We will link this to how minimalist images can stir feelings, invite thought, or suggest stories.

We will also study how we process visual detail. We will ask what happens when much is left out. Can less lead to more? Can an image still hold meaning if it is almost empty?

The course includes fieldwork in Oxford. You will make your own work and learn how to frame scenes that distil mood, memory, or meaning. You will also learn how to edit and group your images to form a visual story.

This course is open to all. You do not need to be an expert in photography or psychology, only open to thinking and seeing in new ways.

This course is part of the Oxford University Summer School for Adults (OUSSA) programme.

Programme details

Seminars

Participants are taught in small seminar groups of up to 10 students, and receive two one-on-one tutorials with their tutor.

Sunday

Seminar 1: The Psychology of Place

We explore how people form emotional and cognitive bonds with places. We consider rootedness, belonging, and the role of space in identity and memory.

Seminar 2: Spatial Memory and Image Recall

We examine how the mind stores and recalls visual scenes. We discuss salience, affect, and how memory shapes what we later ‘see’ in images.

Monday

Seminar 3: Minimalism as Visual Language

We define minimalist photography, drawing on key figures and concepts. We ask: what happens when we say more with less?

Seminar 4: Visual Perception and the Art of Noticing

We explore how we attend to and make sense of visual stimuli. We discuss attention, figure-ground, and perceptual ambiguity.

Tuesday

Seminar 5: Abstraction and Emotional Response

We consider how abstraction can create mood, provoke thought, and resist simple meaning. We link form and feeling.

Seminar 6: Simplicity, Silence, and Negative Space

We explore the visual and psychological role of negative space, silence, and restraint. We ask what is left unsaid in a minimalist frame.

Wednesday

Seminar 7: Oxford Seen Differently

We use images to challenge the tourist gaze. We ask: what is not shown in brochures? What is hidden in plain sight?

Seminar 8: Memory, Nostalgia, and Urban Myth

We explore how nostalgia colours place. We consider collective memory, imagined pasts, and the city as a symbolic site.

Thursday

Seminar 9: The Ethics of Representation

We examine what it means to photograph a place that is shared, lived-in, or loaded with history. We ask: what is fair? What is stolen?

Seminar 10: Narrative, Sequence, and Visual Storytelling

We explore how to build a sequence of images that suggests a mood or story. We discuss titles, juxtapositions, and the space between images.

Friday

Seminar 11: Curating Meaning – From Image to Exhibition

We explore how to select and group images to shape a story, theme, or mood. We discuss sequencing, layout, and the role of silence or contrast between works. We also consider space, flow, and how viewers engage with minimalist work in a physical setting. We ask: what is the work saying? What needs to be said, and what should be left unsaid?

Seminar 12: Presenting Work – Titles, Statements, and Display

We develop short texts to support the images, such as titles, captions, or a group statement. We explore tone, voice, and how to speak about abstract work without closing it down. We also discuss practical issues: mounting, layout, and inviting feedback.