One of the ways I’ve got to know other photographers locally is through the Birmingham Flickr Group and their monthly Flickrmeets. The meetups usually involve a walk around an interesting part of town (last month we went round the Jewellery Quarter) to take photographs for a few hours before retiring to a nearby pub to rest your feet, socialise and chat. Anyone can come along to the meets, from beginners to Pros, and you can use any type of camera or format. After the meet you’re then encouraged to upload your favourite shots of the day to the group pool. You have to be a member of Flickr to upload, but its free and a great site for sharing everything about photography.
Meetups are held on the second Sunday of every month and the next Birmingham Flickrmeet is at 12 midday on Sunday 8 February at the Coffee Lounge 10/11 Navigation Street (off New Street just behind the Burlington Arcade). More details can be found on the group discussion board here. Hope to see you there!
A fascinating line up in Liverpool
David Goldblatt and Philip Jones Griffiths – Exhibition and Discussion on 7th February 2009. Join Open Eye Gallery and the National Conservation Centre in exploring the work of two of the twentieth century’s most celebrated photographers. Complementing the current exhibitions David Goldblatt, Intersections Intersected (Open Eye Gallery) and Recollections, Philip Jones Griffiths (National Conservation Centre) this day of free gallery talks highlights the evolution of contemporary documentary practice through the work of two highly influential photographers.
11.30am National Conservation Centre, Whitechapel, Liverpool.
Join Dr Julian Stallabrass (Courtauld Institute of Art) as he discusses the role of Philip Jones Griffiths in the history of photography and his impact upon the globalised contemporary art world.
www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/conservation2.00pm Open Eye Gallery
Professor Tamar Garb (University College London) will talk about David Goldblatt’s photographic exploration of life in South Africa before and after the collapse of apartheid in 1990.
Read more about the exhibition>Visitors are welcome to attend a single event or the whole day. There is no charge to attend either venue but booking is advised.National Conservation Centre 0151 478 4999Open Eye Gallery 0151 709 9460
Family Pictures is the latest photography exhibition currently showing at the Light House in Wolverhampton. Robin Grierson is a social documentary photographer who uses his own family as his subjects. Through his photos he invites viewers to gaze at the life of his own family, see his children grow, share his memories, and let us make our minds up about the relationship between the photographer and his subjects. You can see an interview with Robin together with some of his photographs here.
24 Jan to 13 Mar 2009, Light House, The Chubb Buildings, Fryer Street, Wolverhampton, Mon to Fri 9am to 8.30pm, Fri and Sat 1hr before film screening until 8.30pm. Online details here.
…just happens to belong to someone I know.
Leon Neal is an award-winning press photographer who gets to travel to exotic climes to take photos of things…and gets paid for it. Fortunately, he’s a nice bloke too.
He started a photoblog recently-ish, in which he posts images he’s taken during his working day. What I really like about this blog is the diversity. One day he’s taking photos of Her Maj, the next of some boxers slugging it out in the ring.
You don’t need me to tell you more, though, the images speak for themselves.
Take a look for yourselves here!
Last chance to submit your images to the competition – we are judging tomorrow and I have just had a look at the submissions so far. Some really strong images. It is going to be hard!
http://www.flickr.com/groups/birmingham/discuss/72157612535760464/
Robert Frank, ‘Un regard étranger’
If you needed another excuse to visit Paris There is a new exhibition of Robert Frank’s seminal work ‘The Americans’ on at the Jeu de Paume in Paris – on until 22nd March 2009. There is also a sister exhibition on in the States in Washington.
http://www.jeudepaume.org/?page=article&idArt=813&lieu=1&PHPSESSID=077bdbe761fe878f96bd13a797556
‘True Colours’ – an exhibition of photographs taken by a member of the Great Barr School teaching staff, Daniel Locke-Wheaton, while on a humanitarian trip to Sierra Leone begins at the Art Lounge and 3 White Walls Gallery on Friday 23rd January. It is seeking to raise funds for
the Peninsula School in Waterloo, Sierra Leone. Let us know if you go and see it?
‘Instant’ is an open submission exhibition celebrating the medium of instant format photography. Following the announcement that Polaroid was to cease production of this film format in 2008 the exhibition aims to show different approaches to working with instant film. Submissions are invited from artists working in this medium. Please find attached the artist’s notes and application form too. They can also be downloaded from the following web page:
http://www.link4life.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=c.showPage&pageID=1308
So we all want a Photography Space in Birmingham?
If so why not respond to the following questions in the Big City Plan Consultation
“How can creative and cultural industries be supported, what type of space is needed and where? How might the Custard Factory model bedelivered in other parts of the centre?”
and very importantly
“What further cultural and arts facilities might be needed in the city centre to promote the national and global image of Birmingham?”
All you have to do is email your views on those two questions to inquiries@bigcityplan.org.uk
and let us know as well By February 6th
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