Dark Peak Photo is organising a new photography festival, staged across the market town of Glossop, on the edge of the Peak District.
For the first edition of Dark Peak Photo Festival, artists will respond to the theme of NOW & THEN – reflecting on the changes that time brings, the nature of memory and the lessons to be learned from history.
We have invited leading artists to exhibit new projects in free exhibitions alongside work from local practitioners more familiar with the landscape. Together, they have embarked on a social, political, and aesthetic investigation of the Dark Peak - the higher and wilder part of the Peak District.
Alongside this we have a programme of work that embraces the theme over a wider geography.
This activity is supported by an engagement programme of talks and workshops, working with people of all ages and levels of experience to develop new conversations and skills in photography. Allowing the Dark Peak Photo Festival to be shaped by those who take part in it.
The festival will run from 22nd to 25th February 2024, across multiple venues in Glossop. With the kindness and support of many local organisations and businesses, we will be able to bring an exciting, inspiring, and aspirational visual arts festival to the foot of the Dark Peak.
About Dark Peak Photo
Founded in 2023, Dark Peak Photo is a not-for-profit organisation that aims to inspire public enjoyment and participation by bringing contemporary photography to new audiences in fresh and unusual ways. We believe in the power of photography as a tool to experience the world anew; to bring together communities, explore underrepresented issues, and to foster dialogue and exchange.
We want to provide opportunities for the local photography community by fostering opportunities to nurture their professional development and strengthen their practice. Keeping them informed of current conversations within the international photography community, supporting their participation in the field.
Our work is locally grounded, co-created with those we serve, and internationally-focused. Look out for more events throughout the year.
Diversity and Inclusion Statement
Our intention is that all participants - from attendees to workshop leaders and exhibitors - feel seen, welcome and included.
Dark Peak Photo celebrates diversity of all kinds and have an ongoing commitment to represent a wide range of people in our work. Our aim to make inclusive choices in the way we design, curate and deliver our offer strengthens our connection with the community.
GDPR
Dark Peak Photo are committed to ensuring the security and protection of the personal information that we process, and to provide a compliant and consistent approach to data protection. If you sign up for our news letter you will only receive our news letter and at anytime you can unsubscribe your details will never be sold.
General enquiries:
darkpeakphoto123@gmail.com
Carys is a visual storyteller using a camera in one form or another. She has been taking photos for as long as she can remember which has led to a career as a TV camera operator, drone pilot and photographer. She has a long history of working on arts projects and event management, she was an event producer for Rock The Dock for BBC 6 Music a monthly run event and was involved in creating events at BBC North. Has run workshops for BFI and BAFTA on film making, has been a public speaker at the Photography Show. She has been invited to talk and run workshops in Switzerland and Australia on the creative use of drone cameras. Her aerial photography has been exhibited locally, in London and in Amsterdam. She is a Canon pro and works with Canon making educational videos. It may sound like a very eclectic career but it always comes down to making pictures and telling stories with those images. She is passionate about all forms of photography and about encouraging all people to explore and create.
Carys Kaiser
Festival Director
Nicholas Holt
Artistic Director
Nick is a photographer and creative director with an MA in Photojournalism and Documentary Photography from the University of Arts London. His photography has been recognised by the Sony World Photography Awards, The Royal Photographic Society and Arles Open Walls. He is a contributor to Geographical Magazine, Suitcase Magazine, JRNY Magazine and a founding member of Collective 454, an international group of research-lead, environment-focused photographers. Recently, he collaborated with the Lee Miller Archives to create a book on her Surrealist photography in Egypt. Previously, he worked as an art director at major communications agencies in London and Manchester, where he commissioned photography for some of the worlds leading brands. He is recipient of 2023 Royal Photographic Society environmental bursary and is currently working on a long term project about desertification.
Vikki Rutter
Assistant Curator / Open Call Lead
Vikki Rutter is a largely self-taught, local artist with a main career as a television camera operator, giving her a solid foundation in visual creativity. While restoring old cameras Vikki was introduced to Lomography. This now influences her techniques, using a bellows style camera from 1951 with expired 120 film she creates photos with double and triple exposures. Her work has been exhibited across Europe, recently at the Lacuna art festival in Lanzarote and PSI people over profit exhibition on Geneva Switzerland. She has joined Dark Peak Photo to run the Open Call.
