IIW 2025 Digital Collection Welded Art Photographic Exhibition

Invitation to Participate

The objective of the IIW photographic exhibition is to raise greater awareness to people worldwide and at all age levels, of the need to protect the world’s life supporting biodiversity. Biodiversity includes all the variety of life that can be found on earth such as fauna and flora (plants and animals) and their habitat, including soil, seedbanks and water. Biodiversity is under great threat globally, and its loss is often irreversible. People need to be aware in order to act to protect and restore it, and one way is through welding and welded art.

Background

Since 2019, the International Institute of Welding (IIW) has held five welded art photographic exhibitions which were all very successful. The purpose of this invitation is to welcome people to participate in the IIW 2025 Digital Collection Welded Art Photographic Exhibition-Progressing Biodiversity. IIW links in with many like-minded organisations around the world to protect and improve our biodiversity including progressing the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs), in particular, SDG 14 (Life below water) and SDG 15 (Life on Land). Biodiversity refers to all the variety of life that can be found on earth as well as the communities that they form and the habitats in which they live.

It is important to note that this exhibition is not a competition but is simply intended to be an informal and unpressured platform for people to show their abilities and artistic expression. Welded art provides a number of benefits. As a hobby it can help to improve mental health and may be therapeutic; it is a wonderful tool to show the importance of welding and in some cases provides an income for people with the appropriate artistic skills.

IIW 2025 Digital Collection Welded Art Photographic Exhibition

The IIW 2025 Digital Collection will be launched at the IIW Annual Assembly to be held from June 22 through 27, 2025, in Genoa, Italy and promoted extensively around the world from 22nd June 2025. The photographs of 40 exhibits will be showcased on display at the Congress Centre venue in Genoa during the IIW Annual Assembly. Since it is a photographic exhibition, there is no need for artists to be present and no onerous shipping/set-up of bulky exhibits is required.

There will be no charges/fees/stipends/income/proceeds/sales involved in this photographic exhibition. The organisation and administration is done on a voluntary basis, with the practical costs for the exhibition in Genoa being carried by IIW. You can view the IIW 2024 Digital Collection (see links below) as an example which could be used to create the IIW 2025 Digital Collection with biodiversity-related photographic exhibits from around the world including wildlife, habitat, climate change, recycling etc. It will also contain write-ups on the artists and exhibits including contact details for each artist. The digital collection will also be promoted around the world in a number of ways.

More information

A very positive benefit of the exhibition is to raise greater awareness to people worldwide and at all age levels, of the need to protect, restore and improve biodiversity. It is anticipated that the IIW 2025 Digital Collection will include exhibits from career artists, hobby artists, students developing careers, welders, blacksmiths, teachers, welded art groups, instructors at education and training centres, researchers, apprentices, young professionals and young artists, amongst others, either as individuals or as a team.

Around the world there are many universities, technical colleges, art colleges and high schools where professors, instructors and students of all ages perform welded art across a wide range of welding-related technologies and industry and technical associations hold welding competitions.

Process for submission

If you would like to accept the invitation, please acknowledge this by a short email to allbones@iinet.net.au as soon as possible. You will be contacted to discuss and finalize the information which required for the Digital Collection by May 9, 2025.

The information required is:

• The title and a photograph of your chosen exhibit taken on a digital camera with good image quality and a resolution of 20 megapixels or more, which will give high quality A2 prints;
• A short (200 word) write-up on the objectives / methods / techniques / materials / uniqueness used for your welded art exhibit including its relationship to biodiversity;
• A photograph of you (an eight megapixel resolution should be fine) and a short 100 word write-up on your own welded art background and contact details such as email address, website, Facebook etc;
• Any other points which you would like to make in relation to your exhibit and its relevance to biodiversity and/or UN Sustainable Development Goals SDG 14 and 15.

The photographs submitted will be treated with the utmost respect and nobody will be allowed a copy of the electronic images submitted to the organisers unless you give agreement to do so, in writing. Each artist will also receive a certificate of participation and credit will be given for photographs, copyright etc where required.

Information on SDGs 14 and 15

(Source: IIW)