We are thrilled to announce a new collaboration with GRAIN Photography Hub to support three local photographers during COVID-19.
We are excited to once again be working with GRAIN, who we collaborated with on projects The City of Six Towns by Mark Power in 2015 and Settling by Sam Ivin in 2017, on three projects in Stoke-on-Trent, supported by Arts Council England and National Lottery Players.
The three commissions and bursaries that have been awarded are for photographers to focus on how communities and individuals within the city have responded to the pandemic during these unprecedented times. The vision is for local artists, writers and photographers to explore and document the current historical significance of life post lock-down, as the world prepares to return to a new normal of social distancing.
Through this collaboration we are thrilled to announce that we are working with photographers, Robyn Clark, Sarah Peart and Holly Johnson.
All three were selected via a national open call to artists. Their work along with the 19 other commissions from Grain will create a project that reflects this new era we find ourselves in.
The work will be an important historical archive of these changing times and the projects will be shared with audiences on our website and via social media platforms.
Meet the commissioned photographers…
Robyn Clark
Robyn Clark is a digital artist based in her hometown of Stoke-on-Trent, UK. Her creative work is inspired by her background in performance art and contemporary theatre, through film and photography she amplifies the themes around identity, anthropology and social commentary. As a working-class lass she uses DIY methods to emulate high fashion productions, putting an extensive amount of thought into the visual connotations within her works.
www.robynclark.co.uk
Sarah Peart
Sarah Peart is a fine art photographer who enjoys creating stories within her work, especially those that can be interpreted differently from the viewer. She has a talent for finding beauty and hope in even the most bleak and dark subject matter; taking joy in sharing this style of art she hopes that others will see more than just what’s in front of them.
Sarah is a graduate of NULC; leaving with a triple Distinction in an Extended Diploma in photography. She has been involved in a variety of successful art projects with artists from a range of mediums, such as ceramicists to poets.
www.s-ephotos.com
Holly Johnson
Holly Johnson is a self-taught professional photographer from Stoke-on-Trent. She has been working as a photographer for 7 years and currently works both freelance and in a studio. She is the creative director of a mixed-arts events organisation and runs a hat-making company.
Holly began her career photographing UK soundsystem events, which grew into a passion for expressive and colourful portraits inspired by nightlife, art, music and youth culture. Since the onset of the pandemic, Holly has become particularly interested in highlighting the work and lives of key workers in Stoke-on-Trent and will be documenting these through a series of intimate photos and interviews.
www.instagram.com/hollyjohnson.photography
Watch this space and follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates on their work.
