The inaugural event will see exhibitions, workshops and much more in Glossop

‍

Dark Peak Photo Festival is gearing up for an epic inaugural event, with a series of incredible exhibitions that will take place from 22nd - 25th Feb in and around Glossop.  

‍

The vibrant four-day takeover will see exhibitions take place at a number of Glossop venues, and the town centre streets will be transformed into a walking exhibition as works are displayed in participating business windows.

‍

The Festival is a not-for-profit initiative, established in 2023 by photographers Carys Kaiser, Nicholas Holt and Vikki Rutter, with a focus on showcasing contemporary photography, community engagement and supporting local talent.

‍

The programme includes a talk by artist Melanie King and Director of Glossop Heritage Trust, Kate Raine, who are co-hosting ‘Now & Then: An evening with… ‘ event at Victoria Hall on Friday 23rd February.  The relaxed event will be an opportunity to hear about the ‘Now’ from Melanie King on her work ‘Acquaintance’ and the ‘Then’ with Kate Raine who will bring to life late Victorian and early Edwardian images from the Glossop Heritage Trust Archive.

‍

Additionally, a new exhibition from award-winning, Manchester based photographer Andrew Brooks has been added to the programme. Andrew’s exhibition will be staged at the Artful Pigeon Gallery as a featured space at the festival.

‍

Limited tickets are still available for Paul Hill MBE’s talk, ‘Landscape Photography is Not About the Land – Photographing the Peak’. Paul will explore how visitors to the Peak District are drawn to the area by rural photography and are inspired to recreate those images. His talk will consider why doing ‘something different’ rarely seems an option, and what different could look like.

‍

The full programme includes a dusk photo walk and exhibition from Not Quite Light (the artist behind the viral Rainstorm image familiar to many photography fans), alongside work from award-winning photographer Kate Bellis, a discussion on the ethics of photography with photographer and writer Ciara Leeming and more.

‍

Multi award winning British actor and photographer Bill Ward will be judging the winning image from the Open Call. As an actor Bill is probably best known for playing Coronation Street’s Charlie Stubbs and his work in both television and photography has been recognised with multiple awards.

‍

Carys Kaiser, Festival Director says; “My initial idea was for a photography festival because where I live there isn’t an event that celebrates photographers and photography of all kinds and all levels. Using a camera and creating photography is a growing interest as nearly everyone has access to a camera if they have a smartphone, this often leads to people moving to DSLR cameras.

‍

‍

“We aren’t funded in any traditional way by grants, we are literally a tiny team of three people who are passionate about bringing a good quality photography festival to our area. Part of that is giving free access to the exhibitions because access to culture and arts is so important in bringing communities together.

‍

Vikki Rutter, Assistant Curator and Open Call Lead says; “As a local photographer, it was important to be involved in this festival to bring photography to everyone, to make it accessible, and show professional photography alongside amateur photography work.  Amateur photographers are just as creative and perhaps more so with their experimentation.”

‍

Steven Dexter from Glossop Creates said: “It’s so inspiring to see the ambition of the festival in its first year. Our town is known for its atmospheric and beautiful landscape and to encourage creatives to capture that through new and interesting lenses is the worthiest of projects. We can’t wait to see what comes of the festival and the interest it attracts to Glossop.

‍

“There have been some brilliant new creative projects this year, with the Photo Festival, The Black Circle, and the fantastic fresh programming of Demento66 at The Commercial all showing that Glossop is the perfect canvas for any creative project. It’s also good to see our creative community develop and use new and interesting venues whilst they wait for the Town Hall and other Civic Buildings to realise their potential.”

‍

‍

Details of additional talks, workshops, exhibitors, takeover venues, and a preview of selected open call images will be unveiled in the coming days. The festival is a celebration of photography for people of all ages and levels of experience.

‍

‍Find out more about the full programme, and book onto workshops and events by visiting https://www.darkpeakphoto.com/