Drawn by Light is the title of a two-part podcast, totalling nearly two hours, looking at the move of the RPS Collection from Bradford to the V&A Museum, London.  It looks at the reasons behind the move and the processes which underpinned it through interviews with some of those involved and others with an interest in the move. It uses the move of the RPS Collection as a prism to examine some of the wider issues around the centralisation and the funding of the arts in the United Kingdom.

Part one opens with Colin Ford CBE, the founding Head of the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television (NMPFT), reprising his story of how a national museum of photography came to Bradford culminating in its opening in 1983.  ‘Colin’s gift’ of the museum, as the interviewer Callum Barton puts it, was the natural home of the RPS Collection both of which embraced the art, science and technology of photography. The Collection was acquired in 2003 by his successor Amanda Nevill. When the move from Bradford to London was announced in 2016 Ford described himself as angry and upset and the move as wrong for photography, politically and geographically.

The broader context for the move has been an increasing centralisation of the arts in London and disproportionate funding cuts in the regions associated with the government's austerity programme since 2010. In to that mix the Science Museum Group’s (SMG) move to a STEM agenda, in support of government policies, spelt the end of an holistic approach to photography in Bradford. ‘Cultural asset stripping’ and more emotive phrases were used at the time.

For the National Media Museum (NMeM), the root of this lay with the near closure of the museum in 2013 and a proposed 30 per cent cut in funding. The public outcry in Bradford and from the wider photography world led to Ian Blatchford the SMG’s director being questioned by a parliamentary select committee. He defended the proposal highlighting declining visitor numbers and the impact of a poorly considered rebrand from NMPFT to NMeM in 2006. The subtext was that there was not enough science at the NMeM which had become a priority for the SMG and its constituent museums. The NMeM was ultimately saved and a process of review was set in train. In late 2012 Jo Quinton-Tulloch, was tasked with a brief to focus on science and technology and to realign the museum within the SMG. The holistic approach to photography, taking on both its art and science, was dropped in 2013 and a new mission statement published which concentrated on science and culture.

The RPS Collection with its primary focus on art and a user based concentrated on its artistic holdings became increasingly untenable.  In 2015 259 visitors used the Collection; the cost of maintaining it and making it available did not sit easily in a climate of declining funding.

Part 2 examines the transfer in more detail. In March 2015 Quinton-Tulloch proposed that the Collection be moved to a new SMG research centre. This proved unviable and the decision was ultimately taken to transfer the Collection to the V&A which offered to open it more widely physically and digitally. V&A curator Martin Barnes describes this in detail.

The wider discussion of centralisation in London of culture, a dramatic funding imbalance and an inequitable relationship between the centre and the regions occupies much of this part. Local authority cuts of 17 per cent since 2010, the stronger ability of the London institutions to raise private funding, all impact adversely on the regions. Barnes confirms that the first £1 million of the £7 million costs of the photographic research centre has already been secured in the space of a few months, something the SMG could only imagine. In 2012 80 per cent of private sector support for the arts went to London.

The RPS Collection transfer is cited as an example of London-centric trustees making decisions without any democratic or local accountability. Public consultation was absent, there was a lack of sensitivity to Bradford and the region and there had been no input from the wider photography sector. The poor handling of public criticism of the transfer by the SMG only compounded the controversy.

While due process between the SMG and V&A had been followed, the original purchase of the RPS Collection in 2003 through HLF and other sources, described in the podcast as ‘public money’, should have required a different approach. The SMG did not seek any compensation for the loss of the £4.5 million collection and Barton argues that such an approach potentially compromises future funding bids from HLF.  A policy fix is needed for such acquisitions. There are 13 further collections at the NMeM (now the National Science and Media Museum) including Tony Ray-Jones, the Herschel album, Talbot material and NMPFT/NMeM acquired material that have been earmarked for removal. Most telling, Burton suggests, is that the opportunity was missed to consolidate in Bradford at the NMeM, around one of  the greatest photography collections in the world.

So, what does the podcast tell us? Austerity and funding cuts disproportionately affect the UK regions; people do not want to lose cultural assets even if they rarely use them; that the decentralisation that saw the NMPFT move to Bradford in 1983 has been reversed; and, there is a growing centralisation of objects and funding in London. Ultimately, arts policy needs a serious and thorough review to deal with these issues.

What the podcast doesn’t do is provide the full story of the move of the RPS Collection to the V&A. There is much more that could be said around many aspects, including the original transfer from the RPS to the NMPFT and there are valid counter arguments as to why the move from Bradford to London, might have been the right one which should also be explored. These deserve an equal airing.

In the end, the debate about the RPS Collection transfer is academic. The V&A must now deliver on making the RPS Collection accessible and central to its new photography centre as it promised; the handling of any future disposals from the NMeM’s successor, the National Science and Media Museum, must be done more openly; and the photography world needs to do more to make its presence felt; although it may have been overtaken by events the absence of a national museum of photography is still up for discussion, but, most importantly, there needs to be a harder look at national arts policy, and the UK regions need to work to get the government and Arts Council England to allocate limited resources in a more equitable way.

Drawn by Light is a non-profit production for Saccadence
  it features interviews with Colin Ford, Michael Terwey, Martin Barnes, Francis Hodgson, Jo Booth and others. 
Written, edited and produced by Callum Barton
Listen to both parts here: https://www.drawnbylightpodcast.org/

Fotografiska, Stockholm's centre for contemporary photography, is to open a new building to be called Fotografiska - London Museum of Photography in 2018.

Fotografiska - London Museum of Photography will occupy the lower ground floors and a new office pavilion at The White Chapel Building, designed by Fletcher Priest Architects, at 10 Whitechapel High Street, E1, This is Fotografiska's first gallery outside Stockholm and will add another important cultural and leisure hub to the fast improving Whitechapel area. Fotografiska is also believed to be about to lease a 45,000 sq. ft space in New York on Park Avenue South.

In London, the initial rent is £2.4m per annum or £27 per sq ft. with Fotografiska occupying the whole of Phase 2 comprising 89,000 sq ft on a 15-year lease.

John Burns, Chief Executive Officer of Derwent London, said: “We are very excited to welcome Fotografiska - The London Museum of Photography to The White Chapel Building.  We believe their arrival will be a major benefit to the area and Fotografiska’s character endorses the Group’s focus on good design.  This pre-let means that we will have successfully let the entire property."

Tommy Rönngren, Founding partner and Chairman of the Board of Fotografiska London, said: “Derwent is a developer with great creative vision and we chose to work with them because of the combination of the building itself and the creative heritage of Derwent.  Fotografiska has for a long time been searching for suitable facilities in London, one of the world's most dynamic cities when it comes to photography.  Whitechapel, which is one of London's most dynamic areas, will be a perfect location.  It will be really exciting to bring the concept of Fotografiska to London.”

Fotografiska, is a privately-run 'museum' of photography on the waterfront in Stockholm and opened 2010, although, as Wikipedia pithily points out, it is not a museum having no collection, conducting no research and it is for profit. Fotografiska describes itself as an international meeting place where everything revolves around photography. In practice this means exhibitions and commercial activities which attract some 550,000 visitors annually. The founders of Fotografiska are brothers Jan and Per BromanIt and it is co-owned by venture capitalist Jan Tommy Rönngren.

The V&A has a number of courses and workshops taking place during August, September and October which include practical photographic process workshops and a history of photography evening course. Details are below. 

Salt Print Photography

Practical Workshop

Sat 19 August

10.30 – 17.00

Explore one of the earliest historical photographic processes and discover how to use digital negatives to create salt print photographs. Be inspired by the Museum and learn how to coat, expose and fix your own salt print with artist Molly Behagg.

https://www.vam.ac.uk/event/L0Ed8Y7g/salt-print-photography-aug-2017

History of Photography

Evening Course

Tuesdays 3 October - 14 November

18.30 – 20.30

In 1852, the V&A became one of the first museums to acquire photographs for its collections, holding its inaugural photography exhibition in 1858. Today, the collection is one of the most important in the world with approximately 800,000 images dating from the 1820s to the present day. This course will present an overview of the history of the medium of photography, encompassing works by a broad array of historic and contemporary practitioners.

https://www.vam.ac.uk/event/Vn1NRayw/history-of-photography-2017

Photographic Processes

Practical Workshop

Mondays, 6 - 27 November

10.30 – 13.00
Join photographer Almudena Romero for a practical exploration of photographic processes, from 19^th century printing techniques to the latest 3D scanning technologies. You will learn a variety of processes, including those based on natural materials as well as digital processes.

https://www.vam.ac.uk/event/23okLE3l/photographic-processes-november-2017

Portrait Photography

Practical Workshop

Fri 1 & Sat 2 December

10.30 – 17.00

Improve your photographic skills with photographer Nigel Wilson and explore a range of approaches to portraiture. Draw inspiration from the Royal Photographic Society (RPS) collection and discover how the use of various camera techniques and lenses will bring the most out of your portraiture. 

https://www.vam.ac.uk/event/venDqXdY/portrait-photography-december-2017

The Female Gaze: photographic practices

Practical Workshop

Tuesdays, 31 October - 19 December

10.30 – 13.00

This extensive hands on photography course, led by Grace Gelder, will explore women's contribution to photography, from Julia Margaret Cameron to Deborah Turbeville. With access to original prints in the V&A's collection you will explore a range of approaches to creatively develop ideas.

https://www.vam.ac.uk/event/MkrqqdGD/the-female-gaze-photographic-practices-2017

Photo Oxford 2017 is presenting an afternoon of stimulating discussions with artists, curators and academics that draw on the themes and theories explored in Photo Oxford 2017, a series of explorations into the complex and often contradictory relationship between photography’s capacity to both conceal and reveal. Of particular note is Professor Val Williams on the practice of reconceptualising photographic archives and Martin Parr discusses the making of his newly-commissioned project Oxford, created for the Bodleian Libraries, Oxford University Press and Photo Oxford, with Richard Ovenden.

Thursday September 7th

The Weston Library’s Lecture Theatre

Bodleian Libraries

University of Oxford

See more and book here

Derby's historic photography studio W W Winter will be opening its doors between 8-10 September as part of Heritage Open Days. 

See more here: http://wwwinter.co.uk/historyandheritage.html Booking is essential at: office@wwwinter.co.uk

An opportunity for two library cataloguers has arisen to catalogue a unique photobook collection of 13,000 items. The collection has been meticulously assembled over decades and requires cataloguing to become part of Tate Library’s Special collections. It is both national and international in its range.

You will have a qualification in librarianship or related discipline combined with relevant post-qualification cataloguing experience with serials, monographs and exhibition catalogues using an automated library system, AACR2 and MARC 21. You will also have experience in cataloguing materials in English and in languages other than English as the collection is international in scope.

You will be joining a small, enthusiastic and friendly team of Librarians, all of whom participate in the delivery of research services to Tate staff and external researchers in the Reading Rooms at Tate Britain.  You will, therefore, have good communication and interpersonal skills with experience of delivering excellent customer service.  

Tate Library is part of the world’s largest repository of British art from 1500 and international art from 1900. The Library Collections are housed in the Hyman Kreitman Reading Rooms and Stores at Tate Britain.

The photobook collection is likely to be Martin Parr's collection of photo books which the Tate has acquired.

Applications close 20 August 2017

See more here:  http://workingat.tate.org.uk/pages/job_search_view.aspx?jobId=3406

A new website which showcases the Terence Pepper Collection which contains over 2,000 photographs including many by leading photographers and historic news picture libraries is now available. It launches officially on 1 October 2017.

Terence Pepper was for many years curator at the National Portrait Gallery and between 1977 and 2014 over 3,000 items from the collection were donated to the National Portrait Gallery, London and other museums. Digital records of this gift and the associated celebratory display can be found here.

Check out the website here: https://www.terencepeppercollection.com/

Image: Mary Quant, photographed by Vic Singh, 1961

The Nicéphore Niépce museum in Chalon-sur-Saône is looking for a new director. With a collection of 3 million photographs, prints, negatives, contact sheets, historic cameras etc., the Nicéphore Niépce museum is one of the first museums in the history of photography in France. Created in 1972, it holds the Musée de France label and was directed by Paul Jay and François Cheval. See more here 

Histories of Photography: Invention, Transformation & Affirmation is an eight-week course from The Photographers' Gallery, London. It introduces participants to the richness and diversity of photography’s histories. It takes its point of departure from photography’s early origins in the mid nineteenth century, it navigates through the many transformations that the medium has undergone since, and finishes with its definitive acceptance as an art form in the later half of the twentieth century.

The course follows some of the main trajectories through which photography’s histories unfolded over the course of around 150 years (1830s–1980s), such as the relationship with technology, science and other art forms. It maps out the key moments, practitioners, movements and exhibitions, touching upon the medium’s diverse relations with societies and political ideologies, and reflecting on the global scope of its influence.

Each week takes on a different theme or angle:

Week 1: Inventing a Medium

Week 2: Photography in and as Fine Art

Week 3: New Vision

Week 4: Surrealism and its Legacies

Week 5: The Social Field

Week 6: The Politics of Landscape

Week 7: Conceptual Uses of the Still Image

Week 8: Postmodern Documents

Weekly recommended readings will be accompanied by extended readings and a course bibliography. Suitable for all levels.

About the course tutor:
Jelena Stojković is an art historian and lecturer based in London. She holds a PhD from the University of Westminster and teaches across Fine Art and Photography courses at the University of the Arts London (Camberwell and LCC). Her book, Surrealism and Photography in 1930s Japan: The Impossible Avant-Garde, is forthcoming from I.B. Tauris in 2018.

See more: http://thephotographersgallery.org.uk/course-histories-of-photography

Using his knowledge of art, botany, chemistry, and optics, William Henry Fox Talbot (British, 1800–1877) invented a means of turning an ordinary piece of paper into “photogenic drawings,” calotypes, and salted paper prints in 1839. Featuring more than 30 works, many of which have never before been shown, the exhibition will provide visitors a glimpse into the earliest days of photography. This is the largest exhibition of Talbot’s work in a North American museum in nearly 15 years, and the first show ever in Pittsburgh to present these important photographs from the dawn of the medium.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a beautiful, small-format book that serves as a primer on  the work of Talbot, featuring an introductory essay by curator Dan Leers and thematic groupings elucidated by noted Talbot scholar Larry Schaaf. With its luminous reproductions of Talbot’s fragile works, this publication (hardcover, 96 pages, 50 illustrations, $25) demonstrates that early photography required a form of magic-making and innovation that continues to inspire people today.

Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh
Nov 18, 2017–Feb 11, 2018 
GALLERY ONE
http://cmoa.org/exhibition/talbot/

Image: William Henry Fox Talbot, “Black Cherry Leaves,” likely 1839, photogenic drawing negative, 7 1/4 x 9 in. (image/paper), The William T. Hillman Collection

The V&A was one of the first museums to collect and exhibit photographs. Today, the collection is one of the most important in the world, recognised internationally for its breadth of content, including works that span the 1820s to the present day. This is a particularly exciting year for photography at the V&A, with the recent transfer of the vast collection of the Royal Photographic Society, and spectacular new photography galleries opening in 2018.

This course will present an overview of the history of the medium, encompassing works by a broad array of historic and contemporary practitioners. Subjects covered range from landscapes, portraiture and fashion imagery to contemporary camera-less photography and photobooks. Students will have the opportunity to view up-close some of the magnificent original works in the collection, as well as visit the behind-the-scenes areas of the museum where photographs are stored and conserved.

Course Leaders: V&A Curators Martin Barnes and Susanna Brown

Six weeks: Tuesday 3 October 2017-Tuesday 14 November 2017 at 1830 to 2030. The course will have half term on the 24 October
£303 full price, £273 over 60s, £259 concessions 
(concessions are available for ES40 holders and registered disabled people)

See more and register here: https://www.vam.ac.uk/event/Vn1NRayw/history-of-photography-2017#intro

Paul Laib moved to London from Hamburg at the end of the nineteenth century. For fifty years he worked as a fine art photographer from his studio in South Kensington, hired by artists to document their work. Using archive materials and pieces from the De Laszlo collection of Paul Laib negatives, this exhibition highlights the multifaceted relationship between photography, painting, sculpture and their practitioners. Through the lens of his niche vocation as contractor and creative in London's creative communities we see that an image of artwork can take many forms. 

Camera Obscured. The fine art photography of Paul Laib

Book Library Foyer, The Courtauld Institute of Art 

26 July-27 September 2017

http://courtauld.ac.uk/gallery/visit

Anthony Hamber's long out-of-print book 'A Higher Branch of the Art' (1996) which has been long out of print and rarely available on the secondhand market has been made available as a download by the author at Academia.com. The book can be downloaded here: https://www.academia.edu/33838583/Hamber_A_Higher_Branch_of_the_Art._1996..docx If you do not have an Academia account you will need to register for one. 

"A Higher Branch of the Art": Photographing the Fine Arts in England, 1839-1880
Anthony J Hamber
542 pages, 1996

As part of the Science Museum's Illuminating India season a new exhibition Illuminating India: Photography 1857-2017, will be an ambitious and unprecedented survey of the technological and cultural development of the medium in India, examining photography’s changing role in charting the recent history of the country. The other second exhibition in the series Illuminating India: 5000 Years of Science and Innovation, will celebrate India’s central role in the history of science and technology by exploring its influential contributions to subjects as diverse as space exploration, mathematics, communication and engineering.

Photography 1857-2017 is the first exhibition to trace an arc from the beginnings of photography in India in the mid-19th century to the present day, and pivots around 1857 and 1947: two key dates in India’s recent history.

Looking at those photographers who have been inspired by their own experience of the country, the exhibition explores evocative works from a roster of eminent international practitioners, from India’s first known photographer, Ahmad Ali Khan, to award-winning contemporary photographer Vasantha Yogananthan.

Arriving in India shortly after its invention in Britain in 1839, photography became a powerful tool in the hands of military men and colonial administrators in the drive to document and dominate the people, architecture and landscapes of the subcontinent. Western art history has tended to overlook the Indian photographers working contemporaneously with the first foreigners from the 1850s onwards. This exhibition aims to explore their work afresh in an international context as Indian art photography pioneer Marahaja Ram Singh II is exhibited alongside Samuel Bourne and the country’s first female photojournalist, Homai Vyarawalla, is shown with contemporary Henri Cartier-Bresson.

Drawing on exceptional loans from diverse international collections including the Royal Photographic Society Collection, some of which will be shown for the first time in the UK, the exhibition offers a visually sumptuous history of photography in India. From the very first fragile salt prints to the latest digital imagery, every iteration of the photographic medium will be on display. Photography 1857 –2017 reveals how illuminating a subject India has been for photographers across three centuries: and shows in turn how photography has illuminated India to the viewer, both as place, and as idea.

Ian Blatchford, Director of the Science Museum Group, said: ‘India’s history and culture are built on a rich tradition of scientific thought and innovation. The stories we will be showcasing through this vibrant season not only shaped India but had global significance. By taking a global perspective on the development of science, technology and photography, we hope to engage new audiences and strengthen international relationships between British and Indian scholars and cultural institutions.’

An extraordinary series of public events will run during the Illuminating India season at the Science Museum, including film screenings, workshops, panel discussions and live performances. The full programme of events will be announced soon.

The Illuminating India events programme is presented in partnership with the Bagri Foundation. The Illuminating India season has additional support from The Helen Hamlyn Trust and The John S Cohen Foundation.

Illuminating India  
4 October 2017 to 31 March 2018
Free, ticketed

sciencemuseum.org.uk/indiaseason

@ScienceMuseum
#UKIndia2017

Image: top: Unidentified Woman of the Zenana, c.1870 (2012.04.0054-0028) © Trustees, Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum, City Palace, Jaipur; lower: Mitch Epstein, Shravanabelagola, Karnataka, India 1981, Courtesy of Galerie Thomas Zander, Köln

This exhibition, which mirrors, but is not the same as, the standout exhibition at PhotoLondon in May (seen below), celebrates the major gift of photographs from David Hurn’s private collection and marks the opening of Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales’s first gallery dedicated to photography. Throughout his career as a documentary photographer and member of Magnum Photos, Hurn has been an avid collector of photography. Remarkably, his unique approach to collecting focuses on the act of swapping.

The collection comprises approximately 700 photographs by leading 20^th and 21^st century photographers such as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Eve Arnold, Sergio Larrain, Bill Brandt, Martine Franck, Bruce Davidson and Martin Parr, through to emerging photographers such as Bieke Depoorter, Clementine Schneidermann, and Newsha Tavakolian.

The exhibition presents a selection of works that reflect on Hurn’s own career and influences, his eye for a good photograph and the friendships he has developed with photographers along the way. Hurn has recent donated his collection to the museum as reported by BPH here.

Swaps: Photographs from the David Hurn Collection

National Museum Cardiff

30 September 2017 – 11 March 2018

https://museum.wales/cardiff/

Credit, top right  USA. Florida Keys. 1968. © Elliott Erwitt/Magnum Photos

BPH has covered the work on the Sutton Collection in the past. There is a recent blog posting by Sarah Allen who looks at the conservation work being undertaken on the negatives in the collection. 

Read it here

Special Auction Services's Fine Photographica auction includes two half-plate autochrome images showing First Eastern General Hospital on The Backs in Cambridge, c1914-15.  The auction takes place on 13 July 2017 at Newbury or online at the-saleroom.com. 

The description reads: 

Two half-plate Autochromes, of the First Eastern General Hospital on The Backs in Cambridge circa 1914-1915, possibly taken by J Palmer Clarke, interior view - wounded men, orderlies and nurses in newly-built open-sided ward, decorated with patriotic flags, and exterior view - with wounded men, doctors, nurses and orderlies, gardens in foreground, images probably used in production of colour postcards, G (2), with a linen-backed rolled-up wall chart showing graph of men treated, medical officers, orderlies, patients and death rates, 1914-1919, including small spike after the German 1917 Spring offensive and large spike caused by influenza coinciding with the Armistice in November 1918; the hospital was built rapidly at the outbreak of war, largely out of asbestos, became civilian housing after the war and was demolished in 1927, 2240mm long, only partly completed; see Cambridge University online documentary, Dr Sarah Baylis, ‘From the Front to the Backs, the story of the 1st Eastern General Hospital, Cambridge’, 2014

See more here.

UPDATED: The lots sold for £550 plus buyer's premium of 15%+VAT

The complete run of the Australian Photo Review from January 1894 to December 1956 has been digitised and made available by the State Library of New South Wales. The journal was the most influential in Australia throughout its history. 

This title has been digitised and made fully searchable online as part of the State Library's Digital Excellence Program, a major initiative supported by the NSW Government. 

See more and take a look: http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/stories/australian-photo-review-now-online

We are looking for a researcher to play a key role in a new research project to be run in collaboration with the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford. The research project will use a variety of different research methods – including action and participatory research – to explore the political geographies of the National Science and Media Museum and wider Science Museum Group and of the different communities who live in Bradford as a means of addressing the tensions facing inter/national museums in engaging their local audiences. The project’s research questions will be addressed through systemic action research allowing us to build a 'working picture' of the role the National Science and Media Museum currently plays and use this to identify blocks as well as pathways for productive change.

You will play a key role in working with the Principal Investigator (PI) to identify connections between the different strands of research, to support in the administration of the project and to act as editor for the project website. You will also develop your own strand of research within the overall research design. The role is based at the Leeds, but you will spend significant time at the National Science and Media Museum, and elsewhere in the city of Bradford.

With a PhD in museum and heritage studies or an allied field (or equivalent experience), you will have a strong understanding of current debates in the field and the sector as well as experience of taking part in collaborative/participatory projects. You will also possess excellent interpersonal and communication skills and will have the ability to write compelling interpretive content for a variety of audiences.

To explore the post further or for any queries you may have, please contact:

Dr Helen Graham, Project Principal Investigator

Tel: +44 (0)113 343 1224, email: H.Graham@leeds.ac.uk

See: https://jobs.leeds.ac.uk/vacancy.aspx?ref=AHCFA1001