My name is Hollie Barker, a recent graduate of Lancaster University and I am super excited to have the opportunity to take part in the GTCxLICA Launch Pad 2022. This has so far been a great opportunity for me to start working creativity after finishing my university degree. This is an opportunity for me to kick-start my creative, artistic career and build up my portfolio.
The goal for this Launchpad for me was to gain professional experience as a working artist, explore working with the community, learn new mediums and processes and develop my practice. Although I have been working sculpturally in the last few years, I wanted to branch out for the Launchpad into different art forms and find a way to include the wider community.
I have begun working with 35mm film photography and teaching myself to develop them. This process is full of experimentation and trail and error but will be really rewarding when I learn a new skill and hopefully get more people involved in art projects.
This photography project centres around the Lancaster and Morecambe area and participants were asked to take photos of the area, focusing on areas that mean something to them. This could be linked to personal memories, iconic areas, beautiful views or family and friends as they are just as much a part of the area as the landscape is.
By keeping the theme and prompt open, the project is more accessible, and I feel people will be more open to photographing things that are really important to them. Using film photography changes how we take photos, rather than ‘throwaway’ photography many do today with phones, people will have to take care to get the right composition and angles as they only have a certain number of shots. By involving a range of people in this photography project, I am hoping to encourage more participation with the wider public in art events and projects.
All photographers will be credited through any form they will be displayed, as professional artists and their work will hopefully become part of an exhibition and an online ‘Modern Archive’ to capture modern Morecambe and Lancaster as the residents see it.
The Markets:
We are finally gearing up to the markets that those of us taking part in the GTCxLICA Launchpad will be taking part in, alongside other local artists and creatives.
My public photography project has been on-going, and I have so far involved a wide range of people in the projects, including kids, artists who use other mediums, and people who are new to the area. There has been a lot of interest in this project and the prospect of getting involved in an art project.
People are particularly excited about the opportunity to display their work in one way or another whether it be just online or in an exhibition. The most challenging part has definitely been learning to develop 35mm film as there have been lots of ups and downs. Film is very temperamental and delicate, changes in timing, temperature and camera setting can vastly change the appearance of the processed film. I have been developing a way to display and organise the photography which has led to my proposal for the market event.
This group photography project can be used as a way to capture events as it gives a way to capture unique perspectives. Whilst there will be professional documentation of the event, getting everyday people to show their view of the markets can result in a more personal view. Cameras will be handed out to anyone who wants to take part with film already loaded and set up. Most of the cameras will be point and shoot to minimise errors in aperture or shutter speed etc. Although I could include some more advanced options for those with some experience. I will then collect the film, process it and display these photographs online as a more personal documentation of the event.
This technique of including the public in event photography could become a repeatable process at other events if this event is successful not only as a way to involve the public in more art events and give them a chance to see their work displayed in one way or another but also as a way to see what people found most interesting at these events through the photographs. I hope this goes well and if anyone is interested in taking part in capturing the markets, come find me and collect a camera!
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The LICA x GTC Launchpad is funded by Santander Bank and Creative West End, as part of a programme with Lancaster University encouraging responsible and innovative enterprise. The participants, a mix of Lancaster fine art BA graduates and Good Things Collective members, get studio space, their first art commissions, business support, and professional mentoring over the course of 12 months.