Calling all photography lovers – Frome’s photo festival returns next month

The second edition of Photo|Frome, an inclusive festival dedicated to showcasing and celebrating local, national, & international levels of photographic endeavour and filling the creative community of Frome with photos, is set to run from 24 June to 12 July.

This year’s theme of Decolonising Environments, explores the complex and often conflicting relationships between human communities, places, and the natural world. Encompassing a range of styles, subjects and genres, Photo|Frome invites photographers and audiences to contribute to discussions around the social and environmental impacts of long standing political, cultural, and economic ideas about our world.

This year’s Photo|Frome builds on last year’s successful inaugural outing which featured 75 photographers in seven venues, enjoyed over 6,000 visitors, broke venue exhibition records, and welcomed attendees from across the UK.

Chair and lead curator of Photo|Frome, Mick Yates, said, “The pleasing success of Photo|Frome in 2022 proved that there is both an appetite and a need for a festival dedicated to photography in the Southwest. In 2023, we hope to demonstrate that Photo|Frome’s inclusive strategy of community involvement alongside world-class artists will cement the festival’s place on the national stage.

“For 2023 every facet of the festival has been revisited and revamped. We’re taking over even more of Frome’s venues (14), whilst our content is now more unified around our chosen theme – indeed, our exhibiting photographers represent some of the most exciting and captivating voices working in this space. There are also new additions, in the form of a two-day symposium, an outdoor installation, mini-exhibition outreach through town retailers, student awards, an open book call, and more community-focussed involvement.”

Exhibitions

Rook Lane Chapel

MPB@Rook Lane, 24th June to 12th July. Presented by MPB, the leading platform for photographers and videographers to trade equipment, Rook Lane Chapel will showcase seven very different world-class practitioners.

The Whittox Gallery: 24th June to 16th July

Exhibits the work of Arteh Odjidja and the UK Black Female Photographer community (UKBFTOG). Arteh is showing Rise for Bayelsa highlighting the campaign to stop oil spillages and other environmental degradation in the Nigerian delta area.

UKBFTOG presents Living the Dream. This group exhibition celebrates culture, creativity, and womanhood through the lens of Black female photographers.

Black Swan Arts: 24th June to 16th July

The Beaford Archive is premiering the early 1970s work of Oscar-winning cinematographer Sir Roger Deakins, together with documentation of the impact of Ash Dieback created by artist-photographer Robert Darch. This exhibition presents collections from the first and most recent photographers commissioned by the Beaford Archive and demonstrates how Beaford is actively adopting a new curatorial approach to continuing a living archive.

Gallery at The Station, 23rd June to 8th July is presenting Intersectional matters: Waste featuring a range of nationally and internationally acclaimed photographers and curated by award-winning photographer Jacqueline Ennis-Cole.

17 years ago, Clementine Wilson started living with a New Age Traveller community as she finished her degree. She began a project entitled No Fixed Abode which looks at social housing problems in the UK and the people affected, which she continues today.

Makers’ Yard (28 June – 7 July) shares a specially curated group exhibition on the festival’s theme. It will showcase large-format fly posters hung candidly inside and outside of this unique warehouse space.

Frome Library (24 June – 12 July) will host a student curated exhibition as well as a display of books entered in Photo|Frome’s first Open Book Call. Students from the University of the West of England (UWE) curate and produce a group show of their work alongside that of students from Frome College.

Frome Town Hall (3 July – 12 July) offers an interpretation of the festival theme by Frome Wessex Photographic, one of the region’s most successful and long standing camera groups, and other local photographers.

Frome Heritage Museum (24 June – 15 July). In 2022, in partnership with the Frome Independent market, Photo|Frome offered free digital portraits via a student-run pop-up studio on market day. For the duration of this year’s festival, the museum is pleased to present that photographic archive.

23 Bath Street (24 June – 16 July. Based on last year’s enthusiastic reception, Frome’s unique late-night venue also becomes a photo gallery for the duration of the festival.

Of Cabbages and Kings (24 June – 15 July.) The popular gallery and print shop on Cork Street will feature the work of Somerset photographer Rod Higginson and the cameraless images of Anjalika Baier.

Coffee @ Photo|Frome (24 June – 16 July). Local independent coffee shops, Projects, River House & Café la Strada will each have exhibitions related to coffee growing, coffee tasting, coffee production & cafés across the world.

Outdoor Installation (24 June – 12 July). Large-scale photographs will be displayed in prominent outdoor locations to reflect the festival’s core concept of bringing photography to the local community. Full details to be announced soon.

Symposium – Assembly Rooms, Frome, 1-2 July. This two-day symposium will explore the festival’s theme, ‘Decolonising Environments’ and will feature keynote talks from national and international photographers, panel discussions and audience conversations. Full details to be announced soon.

Faces of Frome – Frome Independent market, 2 July. An ongoing project that documents the diversity of the people of Frome in partnership with The Frome Independent market. Residents and visitors to this vibrant community are invited to step into our pop-up portrait studio – and for 2023 we are taking Faces of Frome to local care homes for those unable to travel.

Portfolio Reviews – Rook Lane Chapel, 8-9 July. Designed for any photographer who would like a professional, third-party and objective view of their work – whether to develop their visual story-telling ability, commercial approach, consider going for further qualifications, create a book or exhibition, or just looking to improve their craft.

Workshops, 8-12 July. Full programme offering practical workshops for all ages and abilities, including a series of camera-less sessions focussing on lumen, phytogram, and cyanotype methods. This is complemented by a trio of photowalks –smartphone, DSLR/mirrorless, Polaroid – that cover technique and creativity, blended with a historical tour of Frome.

photofrome.org/workshops

For more information about what exhibitions will be shown in the above galleries and the different photography-based events happening across the town visit, photofrome.org

Photo|Frome 2023 is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.