This multi-layered project looks at the maze of citywide allotments, allotment holders, their histories and stories- both visual and oral. The project has a number of strands where photographers and writers collaborate to build a living archive of photographs, a live map with newly commissioned work and a series of events and workshops.
Growing Spaces
In recent years, there has been a great volume of studies that explore existing and potential benefits of both urban agriculture and photography: improve people’s quality of life, empower people, give individuals self‐esteem, reconnect people with their environment… Historically, photography has been an essential tool to document the evolution of these growing spaces - keeping records of fruits and trees, researching blights or helping us remember that huge leek our grandpas once grew.
With this project BPF wants to pay tribute to this relationship between growing spaces and photography creating participatory archives collecting historical and contemporary photographs to show how rich and distinctive shared cultural meanings are, its language and aesthetics. This will be an ongoing project.
This project is delivered by Bristol Photo Festival run in collaboration with Bristol Museums and Galleries and Arnolfini Arts Centre. A selection of the results will be included in a dedicated exhibition as part of the Bristol Photo Festival 2021 exhibitions programme.
Who can participate?
This project is open to public participation and everyone is welcome to contribute to this archive. We are looking to source photographs from the city of Bristol but also encourage national and international contributions which will constitute a broad representation of this symbolic space.
How to participate?
We are looking for digital images or digital scans from family albums or local archives. Please add the description, year and author if known alongside the image. There are various ways on how you can contribute to this archive:
Send us your pictures via email to engagement@bristolphotofestival.org. The ideal resolution will be 300dpi and 2000px longest side but we accept any other resolution too.
Post your picture in your instagram account and use the hashtag #bpfallotment. Visit our profile HERE
As part of the Growing Spaces project, the festival is developing a programme of outdoor workshops in collaboration with local organizations and community groups. The workshops will include alternative photographic processes, photo walks around the city allotments and many more.
Growing Spaces will produce a programme of events alongside its public exhibitions. We will organise talks, food related activities inviting other artists and organisations to share their experience on similar projects.