Photo|Frome – 'These Poor Creatures' 1-Day Panel Discussions (Forum) | Silk Mill Studios
Arts
These Poor Creatures
In 1822, journalist, economist and politician William Cobbett published
Rural Rides
– a travelogue made on horseback from London through the West of England. When he reached Frome he observed that:
"These poor creatures at Frome have pawned all their things…
"All their best clothes, their blankets and sheets; their looms; any little piece of furniture that they had, and that was good for anything. [...] The population of this Frome has been augmented to the degree of one-third within the last six or seven years. There are all the usual signs of accommodation bills [...] new houses, in abundance, half finished; new gingerbread ‘places of worship,’ as they are called; great swaggering inns; parcels of swaggering fellows going about, with vulgarity imprinted upon their countenances, but with good clothes upon their backs."
A Day of Discussion
As the only UK photography festival located beyond a major town or city,
Photo|Frome
is the apposite forum to examine how rural inequality is being explored in contemporary photography.
Photographers and others who explore the representation of rural communities and experiences will contribute towards a discussion around the relationship between photography and the countryside, including:
How does the representation of poverty and inequality differ in a rural context compared to that of an urban experience?
To what extent does photography obscure or reveal rural poverty and inequality?
What part can photography play in communicating these differences and idiosyncrasies?
Whose stories and what aspects of the rural experience should image-makers be addressing?
The Day's Speakers
Let's meet the Forum's panellists…
Andy Thatcher
is currently finishing a PhD exploring common land through lens media, and his research has taken him to Newcastle, Switzerland and Norway – with a long detour through folk horror. He'll talk about the different ways we might think about common land along with its history, its importance to local and marginalised communities past and present, and the threats it faces. He'll also discuss his longstanding attachment to commons and illustrate his journey of academic and artistic discovery with images and stills.
Denise Felkin
is an Editorial and Fine Art Documentary Photographer. She collaborates with communities to share stories that speak out about current issues, reveal a truthful voice, and promote sustainability, unity, equality, inclusivity, and compassion. Denise will share her photo essay '
In Site
’ to reveal a glimpse of an underground lifestyle with roots in new traveller communities, set in a zeitgeist of apocalyptic domesticity that existed in East London over two decades. Respect, freedom, truth, and beauty are conveyed, with an unpretentious perception of the experience and expression of an urban sub-culture.
Jennifer Forward-Hayter
describes herself as 'cruel, upsetting and funny, covering big stars with big egos to Russian nazis hiding from the law'. She is a documentary and portrait photographer. Jennifer will offer a masterclass on 'How to use Rural Visuals for Your Own Political and Financial Gain'. She will plough camera-first into the next roaring culture war, with a special appearance by Jeremy Clarkson.
Jermaine Francis
is a London-based lens-based artist / photographer whose work, visually explores our relationship to space and their historical, social and cultural narratives. He will explore landscape belonging and historical narratives in visual culture.
Kirsty Mackay
is Scottish documentary photographer, activist and filmmaker. Kirsty’s research-led documentary practice highlights social issues surrounding gender, class and discrimination. As a working class artist her own experiences allow empathy, connection and insight into the stories of the people and communities she photographs. Kirsty will present her work on the UK's cost of living crisis, '
The Magic Money Tree'
. Working collaboratively with children, families and youth groups from across England, Kirsty explores the impact of this crisis and shows us what poverty looks like in the world’s sixth richest economy.
Naomi Woods
's
practice explores the dialogue between place, care and identity. She lives and works in Frome, making images with and in the community. Her award winning project '
I Wake To Listen
' has been featured in Creative Review, The British Journal of Photography and Vogue Italia, among others. As a working class artist born into and currently living in a rural environment, Naomi's talk will focus on her own experience making work outside of the major cities. She will discuss how building community has become central to her practice and ask what role the photographer plays in representing people, places and stories in the countryside.
Seren Metcalfe
is an Artist, Writer, and Curator with a deep commitment to platforming working-class creatives. As the Founder and Director of the Working Class Creatives Database (WCCD) she has curated and managed exhibitions, residencies, and public programmes across the UK, collaborating with institutions such as Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Two Temple Place, and Aspex Portsmouth. WCCD fosters a thriving community of over 1,000 working-class artists, providing opportunities and advocacy for greater representation in the arts. You can find more info on WCCD here:
Working Class Creatives Database
Tessa Bunney
For over 30 years, Tessa Bunney has photographed rural life, working closely with individuals and communities to investigate how the landscape is shaped by humans. From hill farmers near her home in North Yorkshire to Romanian nomadic shepherds and from Lincolnshire flower farmers to Morecambe Bay fishermen, her projects reveal the fascinating intricacies of the dependencies between people, work and the land. Tessa will be talking about the series '
Save our Sea
': working with fishermen along the Teesside and Yorkshire coastline following the devastating wash-up of crabs and lobsters on which their livelihoods depend. In the making of this series, she also worked alongside a local writer (Helen Taylor), marine biologists and environmentalists to try to make sense of this ongoing situation from multiple perspectives along our North Sea coast
.
Supported by Falmouth University
Falmouth University
is a leading specialist institution, focusing on the potential of creativity and technology across a range of online and on-campus courses. Home to the renowned Institute of Photography, the University fosters experimentation and excellence in photographic practice. With cutting-edge facilities and a vibrant community of thinkers and makers, Falmouth empowers students to shape the future of the global creative economy.
Closing Celebration
A concert at the Silk Mill coincides with the closing of Photo|Frome 2025. Tickets for this separate event are limited and the organisers strongly advise purchasing in advance.
The Photo|Frome team hopes you will be able to stay with us for the 'closing party' as a way of celebrating this year’s festival and continue some of the conversations. More information and bookings for the concert are available at:
https://silkmillstudios.co.uk/event/twice-in-a-blue-moon/
Information Source: Photo|Frome | eventbrite