Liverpool International Photography Festival

We recently took a day trip to Liverpool to look at some of the exhibitions being held for Liverpool's International Photography Festival (LOOK 13). Whilst there, we attended the Open Eye Gallery, the Walker Art Gallery and the Museum of Liverpool. Here, we saw photographic exhibitions from photographers including Martin Parr, Rankin, Tom Wood and many more. It was an incredible experience seeing the works in person, appreciating them not only for their photographic qualities but for their presentation and layout that was displayed in the galleries. 

We first went to the Walker Art Gallery to see Rankin's exhibition 'Alive: In The Face Of Death'. There was no photography allowed in the gallery, so unfortunately I could not capture the layout of the exibition to display on here. 
His exhibition featured people who have or are still suffering with life threatening illnesses. There were a variety of different personalities represented and people of all ages. Each photograph featured a small section of writing explaining a little about the subject and what they have suffered with. It then featured a quote from the person going into detail about the emotional responses they've had and the struggle with suffering they've gone through. I found the exhibition to be very moving and extremely emotional, and found myself reading all of the plaques, wanting to know more and more about each person. 

Whilst at the Walker, we also viewed some work by photographers Tom Wood and Martin Parr. The works were mainly black and white, and the Parr work was his earlier stuff rather than his contemporary work. 
I really enjoyed seeing the work by Parr especially, looking at how much his photographic style has changed over the years, and thinking that if he could go back and photograph the same things now, how differently he would do it. The photographs were mixed up, some of the Tom Wood shots being alongside the Parr's and vice versa.

We then moved onto the Open Eye Gallery, where there were photographs by Charles Freger and Eva Stenram. Freger was exhibiting a few different bodies of work, including his 'The Wildermann' series and 'Legionnaires'. I really enjoyed viewing these, and thought that each series was both visually and conceptually interesting. As the LOOK 13 leaflet says 'Over 70 images accompany the viewer along a journey that, mostly focusing on male identity, investigates rites of passage, initiation to adulthood, sense of belonging and affiliation.' Whilst there we also viewed images by Eva Stenram, which 'reflected on the way we define ourselves in relation to the other, highlighting friction that exists between the self and its representation.'

Here are some photographs of the layout of the exhibition at the Open Eye Gallery:

Then finally we went to the last location of the day, the Museum of Liverpool, where we saw a selection of photographs by The Caravan Gallery. We didn't stay there for very long at all, so I didn't get to properly look and appreciate the exhibition as much as some of the others from the day, however I did manage to get some photographs of the layout and style. Here are those:

In conclusion, I really enjoyed the trip to Liverpool, and think that it presented me with the oppertunity of not only gaining more experience and knowledge but also allowed me to really appreciate the standards of professional photography, and the expectations of professional exhibitions and work.