Photography Festivals and Book Fairs

So, October happened! Since going freelance again in July I have been investing in myself and my practice, juggling personal projects, funding applications and paid jobs!

Britain has been buoyant with photography festivals, and I attended events in Bristol & Brighton to mingle with my peers and to get myself seen!

Bristol Photography Festival was just kicking off when I spent a weekend at BOP (Books on Photography), an event celebrating all things Photobook related and incorporating book signings, talks, events, as well as hosting lots of Photobook publishers, from small enterprises to longstanding publishing houses. The event spans across the Paintworks complex which contains both the Martin Parr Foundation and the Royal Photographic Society Head Quarters. Enroute to BOP I visited Into the Abyss by Hashem Shakeri at Bristol museum and art gallery. There are still a number of shows running at Bristol Photo Festival, some until the end of the year and beyond, find out more here

Traversing Bristol 

Whilst at BOP I attended four talks, which were all thoroughly engaging;

Max Pinckers talked eloquently about his documentary project State Of Emergency which was made in collaboration with Mau Mau war veterans and Kenyans who survived colonial atrocities. The book which accompanies the project is in both English and Swahili, and contains “fragmentary colonial archives, photographs of architectural and symbolic remnants from the past, mass grave sites, demonstrations and the testimonies of people who experienced and survived the war themselves”. Brilliant work.

Libby Bove talked us through her wonderful world of imagination, intrigue and magic! Somehow interweaving life on the road (with an emphasis on the MOT), magic and various Guardians of the road: are they real? Are they imagined? Or are they both? Roadside Magic is the title of a new book by Libby. Look out also for The Museum Of Roadside Magic, a travelling archive that was stationed at BOP that weekend.

Photobook Museum Markus Shaden took us on a whirlwind audio-visual tour, showing highlights of the work of The Photobook Museum which he co-founded with two friends in 2014. “It serves as a public platform for collections, exhibitions and events and is committed to research and education on contemporary photobook culture.

Kirsty Mackay in conversation with Tom Booth Woodger about her new book The Magic Money Tree. The book, published by Bluecoat Press takes its title from a comment made by Teresa May in 2017, referencing how our wants (needs is probably a better word) cannot be solved by getting money by shaking a magic tree. ‘Mackay’s viewpoint is that poverty in the UK was a political choice inflicted on the most disadvantaged members of society – first with austerity, then with the steady erosion of the welfare state’.

Kirsty Mackay in conversation with Tom Booth Woodger

The following week I hot-footed it to Brighton to participate in ‘Photomeet Superlab’ a collaboration between Photomeet & Photoworks. It involved two intense daily workshops, where a small group of participants gathered to engage with our current work and discuss the details & mechanisms of Industry Experts’ particular fields. I attended the Publishing workshop with Aron Morel (Morel Books) and Ramon Pez (Art Director at Thames & Hudson / Director Ramon Pez Studio) and the Galleries workshop led by Hannah Watson (Gallery Director TJ Boulting) and Tim Clark (Editor and Curator, 1000 Words Magazine & Artistic Director, Fotografia Europea). It was very insightful, and beneficial to discuss our work amongst peers.

Brighton Photo Fringe was happening when I visited, but I didn’t have time to see much of all that hasto offer. Here’s a few ideas for photography festivals to visit next year, and remember that Brighton and Bristol 2024 events are still happening! Please comment below if you recommend any others, thanks!

• Bristol Photography Festival

• Brighton Photo Fringe

• Photo Hastings

• Belfast Photo Festival

• Impressions Gallery Book Fair, Bradford

Brighton, but from a trip earlier this year!

My return to freelancing is going pretty well, and some recent commissions I’ve worked on are photographing artworks for Norwegian artist Jens Johannessen and an ongoing commission for a Veteran’s charity. Clients tell me that they book me because I am friendly, approachable, and discreet; providing natural images of people. If you have any contacts or need for images to help tell a story please get in touch!

An Army Widow

Veteran Gurkhas

You may have heard me mention zines here before, and I have accumulated a vast collection of images with zine-making in mind. I am thrilled to announce that my first official zine will be launched at the LIP Zine, Book etc… Fair on 23rd November! Details as follows:

Saturday 23rd November 12-6pm

Rich Mix Streetside Space

35-47 Bethnal Green Road

London, E1 6LA

There are thirty stalls, so plenty of zines, books and other merchandise to fill those christmas stockings or add to your collections!

Lastly, in case you missed it, my friend Charly and I completed our three-day running extravaganza in mid September. This ended with a festivity of our own, when we were greeted at Paddington station by my son, and a few friends! Sonia Davda of Little Wing Flowers adorned us with flower garlands that she had made, and we felt like celebrities! You only realise that it’s quite an achievement when other people behave dumbfounded by what you have done! Thanks to everyone who sponsored us, we raised £950 for the charity Free to Run.

Day one - a good start!

Hoorah!

Art and Photography in South London. Plus, running elsewhere!

A sense of place has been a feature of my work for some time now, and since moving to Thamesmead a few years ago I have created many opportunities to explore the area through the lens. I expanded my skillset with my latest work featuring local landmarks, and created an art installation for Thamesmead Festival which took place on 10th August. For more than two years I have been photographing the scene from my kitchen window at different times of day and in various weathers.

Image from Ever Present which is the name I gave to the art installation.

Each morning when I pull up my kitchen blind this is the scene that greets me. There is something reassuring about this ritual that connects me to my surroundings. When I started documenting the view I had no particular end-goal, but I knew that I would present the images as a set at some point. When the Visual Arts Open Call for Thamesmead Festival came about, I thought this would be a great event to show the images at. I wanted to incorporate the wind within the artwork somehow, and had been looking for a reason to print works onto fabric for a while: a quick swish of ideas around the brain and the idea was born! It was a steep learning curve, from sampling fabrics to re-learning how to use a sewing machine, to a nerve-racking (think 12 hours before the festival started) experience of fixing rivets to the fabric, so they could be attached securely to telescopic poles! The poles were positioned on a plateau, which allowed for a view of the real wind turbines on the horizon; repositioning the artworks firmly back within the landscape.

As well as creating the installation I had some Tote bags made which feature one of the images. These were on sale on the day at the Lakeside Shop stall, and I am still selling them, so shout if you want to buy one!

Just £15.00 + P&P if needed.

UPCOMING EVENT(S)

Lakeside Studios

Open Studios/ Open House event: Saturday 21st September 12 - 6pm

Over 30 art studios open to the public - Open Houses listed building - Painters, textile artists, photographers and sculptors showcasing their work - Free drop-in workshops - Family friendly activities - Interactive art installations - Roni Parker’s The Crony Club exhibition - Cafe on site

My Studio is in Block E on the first floor. I’ll be in my studio a lot of the day, but also taking pictures and having a nose around myself! Let me know if you’re coming down, and want to meet up :-)

Back in August I ran a trail marathon with my mate Charly in north Wales. This was just part of our training for a multi-day run which we will attempt to achieve over three days 16-18th September. We’ll be running from Bristol to Reading via the Kennet and Avon Canal towpath and will amass around 95 miles of running over three days!

Several people suggested this kind of event should be sponsored, and so, I have decided to raise money for Run Free charity, and here’s why…

I love running! The fact that I can pull on my running gear & hit the road whenever I fancy is part of it’s charm for me. This experience, and the feeling of freedom associated with running are not available to everyone... Free to Run supports young women and girls in areas of conflict to help them build leadership skills and improve their physical, emotional, and social wellbeing, through running. We provide the tools to help them become leaders who exercise self-determination, challenge negative norms, and boldly reclaim public spaces. Free to Run members are community leaders, advocates, and role models in their societies, bringing people together across cultural, ethnic, and religious lines. They change views about the roles that women can, and should, play in society.

Please donate if you can, thanks! Just click the 💥