Some of the world’s most acclaimed photographers will descend on Manchester this May as part of the Photo North Festival. Kicking off this Saturday, the festival will see photographic works exhibited through a range of interactive events and activations.
Brought together in a single venue - Bonded Warehouse on Lower Byrom Street near the Museum of Science and Industry - guests can expect a variety of thought-provoking photographic exhibitions. These will be set against a backdrop of book and zine stalls, photos walks, workshops, portfolio review and screenings.
Now in its third year, festival curators, Peter Dench and Sharon Price have secured participation from major names including Tom Stoddart, Richard Davis, Carolyn Mendelsohn, Chris Floyd, and David Collyer. Commenting on the festival, co-founder & curator, Peter, said: “Photo North Festival aims to introduce or advance understanding of the medium through our programme of exhibitions - to inspire and engage debate.
"We have one perfect venue, with headline events and renowned photographers confirmed and the list growing. The creativity in planning the festival format, workshops and seminars is something unique to offer people in the north of England and beyond.”
Fellow co-founder Sharon Price added: ”We’ve chosen thought-provoking works that provide relevant social commentary on some quite hard-hitting issues and the enduring problem of homelessness. But we also have the beautiful and the poignant, that will appeal not only to enthusiasts seeking to be challenged, but also to those seeking a feast for the senses.”
In memory of Tom Stoddart, Photo North has been chosen to display an exhibition featuring a selection of images from his final book - Extraordinary Women: Images of Courage, Endurance and Defiance. The book celebrates the strong will of women throughout the world during times of war, poverty and hardship.
Other exhibitions at the Manchester-based festival will include photographer Richard Davis who documented his everyday surroundings in Hulme after moving into one of the blocks in 1989. In between taking portraits of various rising Manchester stars in his squat including Steve Coogan, Caroline Ahearne and Lemn Sissay, Davis’ photographs, all these years later, have become a valuable document of what life was like before the whole district was bulldozed in the mid 90s and regeneration began.
Meanwhile, the works of Chris Floyd, who was embedded with The Verve during their meteoric rise in the mid-to-late 90s, will be displayed, as will the photos of Royal Photographic Society’s Documentary Photographer of the Year 2021, David Collyer. He works as an operating department practitioner, and documented the working life of the staff at Nevill Hall hospital in Abergavenny as they adapted to the arrival of Covid-19.
Photo North Festival takes place from May 7-9. More information can be found here.
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