In the hope that this does not appear to be merely a self-serving announcement, we are posting the launch of our new web-site in the belief that it contains information that may be useful to list members:
• A newly proposed method worked out by Ken Jacobson & paper conservator, Jane McAusland, to describe the condition of photographic prints on the internet or for museum archivists.
• Collectors’ Resources. This section provides a wide bibliography arranged by subject, a glossary of 19th century photographic processes, advice on collecting photographs and links to useful photography sites.
• Information on books we have written
Also, for those interested:
• News of our latest project
• A range of photographic stock is presented for the first time on the web site in a series of ‘Galleries’.
I apologise if people have already received this message by direct posting. We hope people will find the site useful and enjoyable.
Best,
Ken Jacobson
More details of the requirements the Natuonal Media Museum require for its London presence have emerged which start to add shape to the project...
The National Media Museum is seeking an architectural and engineering team to undertake the design and onstruction of its London Galleries Project that consists of a suite of facilities created for a range of cultural programming, which will open in September 2012. The National Media Museum’s team of curators, programmers, and educators are preparing the programme for the London Galleries Project, which will focus on the contemporary issues and histories of the museum’s collecting areas of photography, film, television, radio and the Web. There are three equally important themes within this programme:The founding principles of the London Galleries project revolve around providing the spaces and the levels of welcome for visitors to step over the traditional dividing line between the ‘institution’ and the ‘public’ and, instead, create a space within which our collective points of view, practices and experiences are synergised into the programme of debates, screenings, book launches, courses, conversations, exhibitions and the very life of this media-oriented space.
Proposed Procurement Timetable
Closing date for expressions of interest: 12 noon - 3rd April 2010
Response to Pre Qualifying Questionnaires: 26th February to 3rd April 2010 (37 days)
Confirmation of Suppliers to be invited to Tender: 13th April 2010
Tender Programme: 14th April to 23rd May 2010 (40 days)
Award of Contract: 15th June 2010
Appointment: 24th June 2010
With a 1500m² floor plan, the London Galleries project will include:
In order for the architectural scheme for the London Galleries project to embody our desired ethos, it will need to be thoughtful on a number of levels. We will require:
We are looking for an organisation to provide integrated design services for this exciting project. It is vital that key services work closely together, these include but are not limited to the following: Mechanical & Electrical Services, Environmental Engineers, Multi-media and digital environment specialists, Structural Engineers, Audio-Visual and Lighting Engineers, Other services to be defined as required.
NMSI would at all times wish to be involved in the short-listing and final selection of sub-contractors at each stage of the project. The successful organisation will work with an externally appointed Programme Manager and the Major Projects Group within NMSI. QS Services and CDM Co-ordinator will be appointed outside of this tender.
This project is currently not fully funded and will be awarded on the understanding that break clauses will be incorporated at fundraising milestones.
NMSI will be following OJEU guidelines and utilising the ‘Restricted’ tendering process.
The National Media Museum, Bradford, and Getty Conservation Institute, have announced a major international conference on recent advancements in scientific, art historical, and conservation research relating to the photographs which Joseph Nicéphore Niépce brought to England in 1827. The conference will take place in Bradford from 13-14 October 2010 and additionally will provide a unique opportunity to examine three Niépce plates out of their frames.
This two-day conference will present the results of new, unpublished research and scientific investigations, which have been undertaken during the NMeM and GCI Collaborative Research Project. In the Royal Photographic Society Collection at the National Media Museum are three plates by Niépce and the conference will address the research and conservation of these photographic treasures, and will discuss future conservation measures that would provide for their long-term protection and preservation. The reason why Niépce brought these plates to England, and their subsequent history, will also be outlined more fully than previously published.
A copy of the announcement brochure is available here: Niépce First Announcement.pdf
Aims and objectives
The conference will examine:
• Joseph Nicéphore Niépce and his work
• The first six photographs brought to England by Niépce in context
• Scientific investigation into the three Niépce photographs in the NMeM collection
• Dating and conservation of the original frames
• Conservation and preservation issues related to the Niépce plates
The speakers have yet to be formally announced.
Registration
Attendance to the conference is limited. All registrations will be handled on a first-come, first served basis.
Formal registration for the Niépce in England conference will take place in May 2010. To register initial interest, contact the NmeM at rsvp.nmem@nationalmediamuseum.org.uk. The museum will hold your details on file and email you registration information in May 2010.
The cost is:
• Regular registration (does not include dinner) £90
• Student registration at reduced rate £70
• Wednesday evening dinner £22
Information
For more information, contact the museum via email at rsvp.nmem@nationalmediamuseum.org.uk and it museum will respond to your query accordingly. If you would like to make contact by post, please send correspondence to:
Niépce Conference
c/o Cultural Events Organiser
National Media Museum
Pictureville, Bradford
West Yorkshire BD1 1NQ United Kingdom
For those BPH-bloggers interested in the technological developments in photographic processes from the origins of the medium until the advent of digital photography, there is an interesting book just published in Jan 2010. Written by Sarah Kennel with Diane Waggoner and Alice Carver-Kubik, the book is a compilation of essential information about the predominant negative, positive, and photomechanical processes in use since 1839.
The National Media Museum has six floors of free galleries, including two temporary spaces. You’ll help us fill them with inspiring exhibitions by leading project teams, liaising with stakeholders and managing budgets of up to £50,000. You will plan and oversee installations, and complete all relevant admin duties, from contracts and insurance to transportation, ensuring all exhibitions are delivered on time and to the highest standard.
Coming from a similar role in a museum or gallery, you’ll already have a good understanding of exhibition administration and delivery procedures, as well as sound knowledge of display techniques, including video and new media display technologies. You should have experience of managing projects, coordinating internal and external stakeholders and developing interpretation strategies too. If you can combine this with good communication, organisational and IT skills, you’ll help us show some wonderful work to visitors!
Award winning, visionary and truly unique, the National Media Museum embraces photography, film, television, radio and the web. Part of the NMSI family of museums, we aim to engage, inspire and educate through comprehensive collections, innovative education programmes and a powerful yet sensitive approach to contemporary issues.
Contract:
Contract Type: fixed term until 31st March 2011
Closing date: 21 March 2010
More details here: http://jobs.guardian.co.uk/job/974202/exhibitions-organiser/?CMP=EMCJOBEML281&email=jobsbyemail&lijbeid=9948200
The life and work of a pioneering the nineteenth-century photographer and journal editor was commemorated at the end of February with a blue heritage plaque. George Shadbolt (1819-1901) is thought to be one of the first people to take a photograph through a microscope and recorded some of the earliest pictures of the Crouch End area, around his old home Cecile House, in
Crouch Hill. His home has since been turned into Kestrel House School which provides education for young people with autism.
Rosemary Wilman, of the Royal Photographic Society, and Keith Fawkes, of the Hornsey Historical Society, unveiled a blue plaque at the building and paid tribute to his contribution to the art. Mr Fawkes told the Haringey Independent: “He was a pioneer – a very important person to publicise locally. All these local people are very important. Crouch End was an interesting area then and these people become more important as the years go by. He was one of the pioneers of photography in Victorian times and he was extremely innovative.”
Around 150 years before digital photography revolutionised the process of taking pictures, Shadbolt pioneered early techniques, including methods of enlarging images. He was an early exponent of combination printing, the practice of combining two separate negatives to create a single image.
During an influential career he spent seven years editing what would later become the British Journal of Photography and was an early member of the Photographic Society of London.
The plaque is one of eight installed in honour of influential local figures as part a community scheme led by John Hajdu, of the Muswell Hill and Fortis Green
Association.
The Minister’s ruling follows a recommendation by the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest, administered by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA). The Committee recommended that the export decision be deferred on the grounds that the photograph is of outstanding aesthetic importance and of outstanding significance for the study of the history of photography.
Roger Fenton (1819-69) was a highly-regarded British photographer and one of the first- ever war photographers.
Best known for his images of the Crimean War, he also produced landscapes, portraits, still-lives and tableaux vivants during a career which only lasted just over a decade. Pasha and Bayadère was created in 1858 as part of a series of about fifty Orientalist photographs inspired by Fenton’s expedition to the Crimea. These were an expression of a general craze for all things oriental that can be seen in European art in the second half of the nineteenth century and reflected the Victorian fascination with the ‘exotic’ Middle East. In the photo, staged in his London studio, Fenton himself appears as the ‘Pasha’ (a Turkish military or civil official), watching a bayadère, or dancing girl, perform. The role of the musician is played by the English landscape painter Frank Dillon.
The photograph is one of only two examples of this image, the other being in the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. The Getty’s version is uncropped and believed to be a proof, making this version, cropped for exhibition, in a sense unique. It was not intended to be a documentary image of daily life in Turkey or Egypt, but a fantasy about what the Orient stood for. Fenton’s aim was to marry the Orientalist subject matter popular in painting of the period with the new medium of photography to create a work of high art. Regarded as one of the best in his Orientalist series, and one of Fenton’s best works overall, Pasha and Bayadère is technically highly accomplished, with a strong composition and beautiful lighting.
Lord Inglewood, Chairman of the Reviewing Committee, said: “Photography is sometimes undervalued in this country, but Pasha and Bayadère demonstrates how the best photographs can hold their own aesthetically against other art forms. As well as being a remarkable image, the work is also important for the study of the history of photography. The fact that the Getty Museum chose to make their own version of this image the subject of a scholarly monograph shows just how highly Fenton’s work is regarded outside the UK.”
The decision on the export licence application for the photograph will be deferred for a period ending on 1 May 2010 inclusive. This period may be extended until 1 August 2010 inclusive if a serious intention to raise funds with a view to making an offer to purchase the photograph at the recommended price of £108,506 is expressed.
Anyone interested in making an offer to purchase the photograph should contact the owner’s agent through:
The Secretary
The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest
Museums, Libraries and Archives Council
Wellcome Wolfson Building
165 Queen’s Gate
South Kensington
London
SW7 5HD
Telephone 020 7273 8270
The National Portrait Gallery is holding a symposium around its current Irving Penn Portraits exhibition. Join leading photographers and art historians discussing themes and ideas around the exhibition. Speakers include photographers Paolo Roversi and Bettina Von Zwehl, exhibition curator Magdalene Keaney, Edward Barber, Director of Fashion Photography London, College of Fashion, Virginia Heckert, curator of Irving Penn: Small Trades at the J. Paul Getty Museum, Philippe Garner, International Head of Photography, Christie's and Dr David Anfam, Art historian, critic and curator.
Friday 12 March, 10.30-17.00
Ondaatje Wing Theatre
Organised in partnership with London College of Fashion
Tickets: £25/£20 concessions and Gallery Supporters
More details: http://www.npg.org.uk:8080/irvingpenn/events.htm
The National Media Museum, Bradford, is currently looking for an Associate Curator of Cinematography, working 21.6 hours per week (fixed term for 23 months). The salary is £21,302 pro rata (£12,781 per annum). With three dedicated cinemas and an impressive collection of over 13,000 important cinematography artefacts, film is at the heart of the National Media Museum’s offering. Working closely with the Curator of Cinematography you’ll make sure it stays there by researching and creating insightful content for exhibitions, publications, the web and other aspects of our public programme. At the same time, you’ll help to manage the care of and access to our collection, ensuring items remain well-preserved and easily available to audiences for years to come.
Required Skills:
Coming from a similar role within a museum, you’ll already have exactly what it takes to deliver enthralling presentations, engage with similar organisations and manage historic collections, including experience of handling objects and knowledge of documentation and cataloguing practice. A passion for film and cinema history, ideally with specialist knowledge of a particular area, is important too, as is relevant research experience. If you can also add effective interpersonal, communication and project management skills, you’ll play a key role in maintaining and developing cinematography at the Museum.
Award-winning, visionary and unique, the National Media Museum embraces photography, film, television, radio and the web. Part of the NMSI family of museums, we aim to engage, inspire and educate through comprehensive collections, innovative education programmes and a powerful yet sensitive approach to contemporary issues.
Application Instructions:
Please note: This is a part time role for 21.6 hours per week. Salary is £21,302 pro rata, so you’ll receive £12,781 per year. Interested? Please send your CV and covering letter to: recruitment@nationalmediamuseum.org.uk
The deadline for applications is 5 March 2010.
The galleries are set to open in September 2012, and will focus on photography, film, television, radio and the Internet. The gallery space will feature: flexible installation spaces; a screening and performance space; private study rooms; a large welcome lounge; and a café and bar.
The NMeM parent body the NMSI is seeking designers to provide: ‘a digital, audio and visual environment that befits a forward-thinking and media-based project’; ‘a suite of facilities that are truly flexible and respond to the day-and-night programming of the entire but also specific areas of the space’; and ‘a design identity that is coherent on both macro and micro levels, from the use of the space’s existing features to the materials used for gallery and library furniture’. NMSI adds that the project is not fully funded yet.
Expressions of interest are currently being sought, and suppliers will be invited to tender through the Official Journal of the European Union from 14 April. The contract will be awarded on 15 June 2010.
Mention was made here last year of a major project to revamp the National Media Museum's signage and foyer area. This work which cost around £350,000 is now complete. Click here for details of the original report:
(http://britishphotohistory.ning.com/profiles/blogs/national-media-museum-newof) The photographs below show the outcome of the project which comprises:
Some photographs here show the outcome...
Born in Kingston upon Thames in April 1830, Muybridge studied photography in Britain and built his career in America. Perhaps best known for his extensive photographic portrayal of animals and human subjects in motion, he was also a highly successful landscape and survey photographer, documentary artist, inventor, and war correspondent. Muybridge’s revolutionary techniques produced timeless images that have profoundly influenced generations of photographers, filmmakers and artists, including Francis Bacon, Marcel Duchamp, Jasper Johns, Cy Twombly, and Douglas Gordon.
This broadly chronological exhibition will focus on the period of rapid technological and cultural change from 1870 to 1904. It will include the celebrated early experimental series of motion-capture photographs such as Attitudes of Animals in Motion 1878-1882, and the later sequence Animal Locomotion 1887. It will also consider how Muybridge constructed, manipulated and presented these photographs and will feature his original zoopraxiscope, which projected his images of suspended motion to create the illusion of movement.
Muybridge’s carefully managed studio photographs contrast with his panoramic landscapes of America, in which he balanced professionalism with a truly artistic sensibility. He was fascinated by change and progress and his photographs caught both the natural beauty of this vast continent, and the rapid colonial modernisation of its towns and cities. The exhibition will include many of his series of images of the Yosemite Valley, including dramatic waterfalls from 1867 and 1872, along with views of Alaska, Guatemala, urban panoramas of San Francisco, and his 1869 survey of the construction of the Central Pacific Railroad in California, Nevada and Utah. These photographs form a unique social document of this fascinating period of history, as well as representing a profound achievement of technological innovation and artistic originality.
Muybridge travelled between Britain, America and Europe throughout his career, studying photography in Britain, and later lecturing around the world. In 1874 while living in San Francisco he shot his wife’s lover dead and had her son placed in an orphanage, but was acquitted of the crime as a ‘justifiable homicide’, a story retold in Philip Glass’s opera The Photographer. He returned to England in 1894, and died at home in Kingston in 1904.
The exhibition is curated by Philip Brookman, Chief Curator, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington and at Tate Britain by Ian Warrell, curator of 18th and 19th century British Art, Tate, and Carolyn Kerr, curator, Tate Britain, and is organised with the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington. A fully illustrated catalogue, produced by the Corcoran Gallery of Art, will be available
