MNFSTVL : VISUAL ARCHIVE — DESCENT INTO THE MOVEMENT

DESCENT INTO THE MOVEMENT is an experience built around two consecutive descents: a physical displacement through the territory and a progressive entrance into the space where the gathering takes place.

The first descent begins before the event.

Registered attendees receive private coordinates and embark on a journey towards the industrial outskirts of Lima, crossing highways, heavy infrastructure and monumental architectures that progressively transform their perception of the surroundings. The city begins to disappear, and the territory begins to reveal another scale.

The second descent takes place within a historic worker's infrastructure.

Before reaching the main space, attendees move through the Visual Archive, an installation where the selected images enter into dialogue with the architecture, the materiality and the physical experience of the place.

More than an entrance to the event, DESCENT INTO THE MOVEMENT is a transition: a movement from the surface of everyday life towards another state of presence.

For seven years, MNFST has developed immersive experiences that integrate electronic music, contemporary visual language and spatial design through a curatorial practice based on independence, self-management and community building.

More than producing events, MNFST operates as a living archive where sound, architecture and collective presence become part of a shared language.

To celebrate its seventh anniversary, we are opening for the first time a call for photographers and visual artists to contribute to the creation of the MNFST VII YRS Visual Archive, an installation that will become part of DESCENT INTO THE MOVEMENT.

We are not looking to illustrate an event.

We are looking to gather perspectives capable of revealing the relationship between territory, architecture, infrastructure and human presence.

If this vision resonates with you, we want to see through your perspective.

The Visual Archive is an installation integrated within DESCENT INTO THE MOVEMENT.

The selected works will not be displayed as a conventional gallery exhibition.

They will become part of the entrance journey itself, integrated into the architecture, the scale of the space and the physical experience of the place.

Before sound takes over, attendees will move through an intervention built from these images.

More than an exhibition, the Visual Archive becomes the first movement of the experience.

The selected images will become part of the MNFST VII YRS Visual Archive and will be integrated into DESCENT INTO THE MOVEMENT.

Their authors will be properly credited during the exhibition and in publications related to the project.

Selected artists will have the opportunity to become part of the event experience, with special access to DESCENT INTO THE MOVEMENT and an invitation extended to their close circle through a guest list coordinated in advance with the MNFST team.

More than a conventional exhibition, the Visual Archive seeks to build a collective archive that engages with architecture, territory and the shared experience of the event.

Participation is free and open to people from any city or country whose perspective resonates with the spirit of this call.

Your background or the moment when the images were created does not matter.

We are interested in understanding the context from which they were created and the vision that sustains them.

The images may have been created at any time. They do not need to be unpublished or produced specifically for this call.

We are not looking for a specific aesthetic.

We are looking for images capable of finding beauty, tension and meaning within space.

We are interested in works that observe the territory from an honest perspective; works that document, interpret or abstract the relationship between architecture, materiality and human presence.

More than representing a place, we are looking for images capable of revealing the character of a space.

We are especially interested in projects related to:

• Brutalist architecture.
• Industrial spaces.
• Geometry and structure. 
• Materiality (concrete, metal and rust). 
• Architectural abstraction. 
• Urban landscapes and peripheral environments. 
• Infrastructure. 
• Light and shadow. 
• Memory of place. 
• Movement. 
• Human presence. 
• Monumentality.

Your work does not need to address all of these themes. It is enough that it establishes an honest dialogue with one of them.

We prioritize images that preserve the authenticity of their surroundings.

We are interested in images where it is still possible to feel the material, the scale, the passage of time and the physical presence of a space.

We especially value:

• Natural or available light. 
• Documentary integrity. 
• Grain and texture when they are part of the process. 
• Minimal digital intervention. 
• The ability to observe before attempting to spectacularize.

We are not looking for images created from a commercial perspective.

We are looking for images capable of enduring over time.

If this call resonates with you, submit a selection of up to five images that connect with our vision.

We accept individual photographs, series and complete projects. Video frames extracted from moving images are also welcome.

All submissions will be reviewed by the MNFST curatorial team based on their conceptual, visual and narrative relationship with the call.

Complete the submission form available at the bottom of this page.

• Up to 5 images per artist.
• Color and black-and-white images are accepted.
• Series and complete projects are welcome.

Digital photography:

• JPG or TIFF format.
• Highest available quality.
• Minimum resolution of 3000 px on the longest side.

Analog Photography:

High-resolution digital scans from 35mm negatives or slides, medium format (120), or large format are accepted.

We especially value files that preserve the qualities of the photographic process, including grain, tonal variations and other characteristics of the original material.

There is no need to remove imperfections resulting from the development process or the physical medium.

Video Frames:

Frames extracted from video are also accepted.

They must be exported in high resolution and have sufficient quality for printing or projection.

Please indicate whether each file is a still photograph or a video frame.

To better understand the context of each proposal, we will ask for the following information during the submission process:

• Full name.
• City and country of residence.
• Contact email.
• City and country where the images were created (if applicable).
• Project or series title (if applicable).
• Brief description of the work or the context in which it was created.
• Portfolio or reference links (optional).
• Any additional information you consider relevant to understanding your proposal.

We are not looking for an extensive résumé. We are interested in understanding the story and context from which your work was developed.

Authors retain full rights over their work at all times.

By participating in this call, authors authorize MNFST to use selected images exclusively for their exhibition within the Visual Archive, as well as for documentation and communication purposes related to this edition of the project.

Any reproduction or publication made by MNFST will always credit the corresponding author.

MNFST will be responsible for the production, printing and installation of all selected works as part of the Visual Archive exhibition.

Images will not be transferred to third parties or used for commercial purposes unrelated to the project without the express authorization of their authors.

Opening of the call
July 15, 2026

Submission deadline
August 15, 2026

Curatorial process
August 18–30, 2026

Selected artists contacted
Week of August 31, 2026

Exhibition
October 03, 2026

If you need assistance during the submission process or have any questions regarding the call, you can write to:

opencall@mnfst.club

Please use the following subject line:
MNFST VII YRS — Open Call Inquiry

We will do our best to respond to all inquiries as soon as possible.

Every place holds a story.

Every territory preserves a memory.

Every perspective reveals something different.

What does the place you come from look like?

We want to see the world through your eyes.