Organizers of The Photography Show & The Video Show, the UK’s largest photography and moving image co-located event, have announced details of the event’s eagerly anticipated Super Stage line-up.
Returning to Birmingham’s NEC from 18 to 21 September 2021, the show’s first in-person event since March 2019 will welcome established and upcoming stars including Rankin, Olivia Arthur, Charlie Phillips, Mark Power and Brooke Shaden.
The show is renowned for its extensive program of educational talks and technical demos, but the Super Stage is a main attraction. Each with a unique approach to creativity, some of the world’s best-known photographers and filmmakers will offer their stories of success and failure, explaining how professionals and amateurs can turn their ideas into reality. The line-up has been carefully curated across a broad range of genres to deliver a truly unique experience.
The Photography Show 2021 Super Stage speakers
Headlining the event is British photographer and director Rankin. Best known as co-founder of Dazed magazine as well as for his photography of top models and celebrities, Rankin will discuss a number of projects he’s undertaken recently, from his involvement with TV’s Great British Photography Challenge, to his powerful portrait series focusing on the NHS during lockdown, and his @florabyrankin project with accompanying book supporting The Care Workers’ Charity.
He’ll explore his motivations and approaches, how he weaves everything together, and why he enjoys having so many different elements to his work.
British documentary photographer and Magnum Photos member, Olivia Arthur, is known for her in-depth photography examining people and their personal and cultural identities. In her Super Stage session on Sunday 19 September, she will share the different photographic approaches she has taken and how she varies them each time, referencing specific projects such as Jeddah Diary, Stranger, the portraits from Mumbai.
In addition, she will discuss the work she has done for Boston Consulting Group exploring a new frontier: the evolution of the blurring line between humanity and technology. She will show her work documenting the remarkable ways humans have merged with machines – from bionics and motorized limbs to synthetic muscles and strikingly realistic robots – and offer wisdom on the complexity, adaptability and resilience of the human body.
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Jamaican-born photographer and documenter of black London, Charlie "Smokey" Phillips, will take to the Super Stage to share his story. Best known for his photographs of Notting Hill during the period of West Indian migration to England’s Capital, his work was largely forgotten for decades but has been recently exhibited at galleries including Tate Britain, the Museum of London, Nottingham's New Art Exchange, the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit and the Museum of the City of New York.
His session will explore his journey in photography, from success on the continent in the Sixties and Seventies, to obscurity and back again.
Visitors will also have the unique opportunity to hear from Magnum photographer Mark Power, who is renowned for his long-term projects and complex, meticulously-crafted images shot mainly with a large-format camera.
He will present two projects separated by 16 years, both of which take as their starting point a landscape of the imagination: his landmark project 'The Shipping Forecast' (1992-1996) and the ongoing 'Good Morning, America' (2021). The session will be a fascinating insight into these long-term projects, the approaches to them and their inspirations.
American-born Brooke Shaden is a conceptual fine art photographer specializing in self-portraiture. Her award-winning images are rich in storytelling and often simultaneously dark, whimsical and beautiful. Brooke will share the story of how she led the charge into inclusive and dark art, as well as offering a glimpse into how she began creating groundbreaking work that positively influences others.
"We know that the quality of speakers is one of the top reasons our visitors come back year after year, and we’ve put together a diverse and exciting Super Stage speaker line-up that really does offer something for everyone," said Ruth Folkard, Event Director.
"The Photography Show & The Video Show has always been an inspirational event that no amateur or professional photographer would want to miss, and we know that this year will be no different."
The Photography Show & The Video Show will follow all government and industry safety advice, with the goal of ensuring its visitors’ and exhibitors’ peace of mind while running the live show in a format as close to normal as possible. As such, this year doors will be open from 9am until 5pm, to aid a relaxed flow of visitor arrivals and entry.
To buy a ticket to this year’s show or for more information on the speakers, exhibitors, demonstrations and more, visit www.photographyshow.com.
Book your ticket to The Photography Show here
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