It's amazing what you can pick up on a PhotoPedagogy CPD course: inspiration, ideas, a soggy old boot...
When an event comes with complementary hand-sanitiser and protective gloves the warning signs are evident: Be prepared to roll your sleeves up and crack on. Thankfully we were addressing a room full of dedicated artists and teachers - so  little cause for concern on our part. That said, while we anticipated collecting something on this two-day adventure, we couldn't have predicted the bags of energy, creativity and good humour that participants would arrive with, and then share so generously along the way. Working with this collective of artists and participants was an absolute treat - good people, sharing, experimenting, getting lost, making strange noises...

Here's how our time together unfolded...

Both days began at Tate Exchange, Tate Modern, with tea, coffee and pastries. How each day would end was far less planned - albeit all part of the plan: uncertainty, discovery and getting lost were some of the key themes (and challenges of teaching photography) that we would be confronting. Jon and I had decided to host a day each, with the responsibility of Day 1 in my hands. In short, the opening presentation was related to provoking authentic experiences in the classroom and beyond. You can view the slides below (which might make more or less sense without the accompanying mutterings):

To start, attendees were asked to reflect on a recent gallery visit, and then to recall a specific detail - something seemingly insignificant, but a memory nevertheless. These were then recorded on masking tape for subsequent display in the space - group pop-up poems, of a sort. This was a simple exercise to encourage early collaboration and sharing, also a means of claiming the room as our own.

I concluded my presentation with an image of a student project (see Slide 35, above), inspired by the work of Danny Treacy. Danny's practice has long fascinated me so it was a treat to hand over to him as our lead artist for Day 1. 
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Danny works primarily with photography, his process led practice also incorporating elements of sculpture, performance, collecting, archaeology and anthropology. His presentation was fascinating. Danny spoke with honesty and humour about the challenges of being an artist - at times feeling lost, but then trusting intuition, experimentation and curiosity as a means of revealing new pathways. Danny's presentation certainly covered some ground too, from the banks of the River Thames to the migrant paths across Mexico.

Danny concluded his presentation with an outline of a practical activity - an invitation to journey to The Photographers' Gallery in small groups; noticing, documenting, collecting as we travelled. Hand sanitiser, disposable gloves, maps and instant cameras were distributed; a half-way meeting point was established for some further group experimenting. 

Regardless of the rain, dampening clothes but not spirits, there was something elemental within this collective urban harvesting. Danny had focused our attention to the influences of nature on how and where detritus might gather. I found myself not only looking for objects disregarded, overlooked or under-considered, but also reading the architecture in new ways. I felt freshly alert to the corners, cavities, and crevasses of the city - the potential nets, pockets and catch-alls of evidence of human presence and absence.

A stop off en-route, under the shelter of Royal Festival Hall, South Bank, allowed for Danny to lead a brief practical workshop. It was also a chance for groups to catch up and share their spoils; and for Jon and I to work out who we might have lost already (I'll maintain he was in charge of head-counting). Thankfully everyone made it to The Photographers' Gallery in good time, still smiling too.

After some very welcome refreshments, it was time to collectively reconsider the objects and experiences that had been harvested. Within his talk Danny had already touched upon the affordances of photography as a means of researching, evidencing, documenting, and art-making. Groups then had the chance to re-present and record their findings, constructing Still Lives within a controlled studio set-up. Prior to developing these displayed responses, participants also had the opportunity to visit and consider the current shows at The Photographers' Gallery.

As Day 1 drew to a close, Jolie Hockings, TPG's Curator, Schools and Young People, took the opportunity to share some of the excellent opportunities and partnerships that TPG provide for students and educators. Each group then revealed insights into their practical responses. The positive energy in the room was tangible. There was a wonderful sense of collaboration and shared experience; the outcomes (produced with limited time and resources too) were remarkably diverse - sensitive, playful, humorous; authentic.

With Day 1 complete, and time to spare prior to our evening meal, it was off to the pub. Now, which way did you say it was?

Encouraging everyone to get lost might seem like an unusual welcome to Day 2 of Still Moving but we always enjoy a spot of creative mischief at PhotoPedagogy Towers.

It was deeply gratifying that the majority of those who signed up to our event had done so for both days. Consequently, we were able to welcome back lots of friendly faces to Tate Exchange and make a few new friends too. We'd lost the rain and replaced it with late winter sunshine. Thankfully we had not lost the energy and enthusiasm generated during Day 1, so we were all ready to disappear once again into the beautiful labyrinth that is photography education.

We began the day by writing postcards. Working in pairs, colleagues shared stories about their personal experiences of being lost - physically, existentially, temporarily, hopefully. They then wrote what they remembered of these stories on postcards, a simple act of translation. They were then asked to return the postcards to the story tellers so that they could, in turn, 'lose' them in the city later in the day, either giving them to a stranger or leaving them somewhere to be 'found' at a later date. A gift, of sorts.

Both Chris and Danny had touched on the idea of lostness in their presentations and activities on Day 1 but it felt appropriate to burrow into this in greater depth on Day 2. With our Threshold Concepts in mind, each one a gateway into the not yet fully known, my presentation argued for the importance of searching, following, drifting and puzzling in the way we devise the photography curriculum. Could students be taken on an adventurous, circuitous journey of discovery? How might we encourage them to trust their intuitions and get off the beaten track? The labyrinthine quality of teaching and learning photography is perfectly expressed by the great Luigi Ghirri:

My hope was that we could collectively set off on Day 2 prepared to innocently enter the labyrinthine spaces of the city, meandering purposefully through several Threshold Concepts along the way. Luckily, I could rely on the sensitivity and empathy of our guide and lead artist for the day, Tereza Červeňová. 

Both Chris and I had been to see Tereza's wonderful exhibition at Brighton Photo Biennial in October. Our students had responded really sensitively to her pictures and we knew we wanted to work with her on our Tate Exchange project. Her practice is characterised by close attention to subtle atmospheres and care, both for the people she works with and the materials she handles. Using only analogue processes, Tereza's ongoing project 'June' documents her response to the current political climate in the UK and beyond, her sense of belonging and the implications of Brexit. Her talk explored the origins of her practice, her difficult experiences as a fashion model, the therapeutic role that photography has played in her life and the struggles of being a student. She is a recent graduate of the MA in photography at the Royal College of Art and spoke about the challenges of her chosen way of working, the demands of formal education and the need to pursue an authentic and personal vision. She spoke honestly about her own experiences of feeling lost and the opportunities afforded by photography to find a way through doubt and uncertainty. She brought along the version of her beautifully bound photobook version of 'June' that was on show in Brighton, bearing the scars of hundreds of pairs of hands.

Following a brief Q&A we arranged to meet again at Spitalfields Market for lunch and everyone set off on various routes through the city.

Gathered a little later on the steps of Christ Church Spitalfields, we compared journeys, lunch menus and discussed our next dérive to Autograph. As the crow flies it's a short stroll, but we were keen for everyone to take the scenic route, either individually or in pairs, to concentrate on noticing and making photographs. Following Tereza's practice of responding to eloquent details and subtle gestures, taking time and care and responding to the rich history of immigration and creativity evident in the area, we set off to explore the psychogeography of nearby streets.

Autograph (formerly Autograph ABP) is a wonderful institution, collecting, exhibiting and celebrating the work of Black and Minority Ethnic photographers. We had worked with Ali Eisa, their public programme coordinator, at our previous Tate Exchange event in February 2018, and we were delighted to have him on board again this year. After rejuvenating tea and biscuits, Ali took us to see the powerful and immersive sound, video, drawing and photography installation by Phoebe Boswell exhibited  across both floors of the gallery. Appropriately titled 'The Space Between Things', Boswell documents her experience of physical, psychological and emotional trauma with the aid of charcoal, drones and angiography.

Back at the study space, the group were led through a sequence of drawing workshops, exploring ideas of description, translation, chance and control. For example, working in pairs, one colleague described a photograph from the Autograph archive whilst another attempted to draw it with their eyes closed using one of a range of unusual tools (charcoal attached to long sticks proved to very popular). We worked on rolls of paper which were subsequently haphazardly taped to the walls. We projected photographs taken on the day over the drawings at an odd angle, creating distorted views, and then experimented with devising, recording and ultimately reciting short, poetic phrases inspired by the Boswell exhibition. You can see a video document of this impromptu performance below:

This was a wonderful way to end our two day adventure - a collaborative smorgasbord of expanded photographic practice laced with big dollops of creative mischief.

We would like to thank all the participants who put their trust in us over the two days, giving up part of their half term holiday or offers of work to get a little lost with us. We are also grateful to our two lead artists, to our wonderful colleagues at Tate, The Photographers' Gallery and Autograph, for helping to make both days so enjoyable. We always learn such a lot from working with passionate and dedicated colleagues and we hope the event is another way of developing a network of photography educators who will continue to collaborate on projects and reflect on imaginative ways to teach our wonderful subject. Please feel free to leave a comment here or get in touch with us. We'd love to have some feedback from participants and readers of the blog which will help us plan our next event.

​-- Jon and Chris

I can't remember how or when I first encountered @thofolio on Instagram, but my curiosity has been slowly cooking ever since. Here - there - was something, someplace else. Authentic encounters from an unfamiliar edge land of England. With no accompanying bio or website link I settled for my own imaginings of the photographer at work: an MA graduate returned home to reconnect (a childhood love of horses ever-present); an established documentary photographer, swapping tales with sparky teenagers for a place in their here and now; a young photographer-savant, even, that kid with the camera, all adidas and intuition...

Enough. I decided to send a direct message, a 'thank-you', mainly, for the regular breaths of fresh air in my feed (notwithstanding a little grit or charcoal ember). But also, hopefully, a chance to find out more and celebrate this wonderful work wider. Thankfully, Alan - Alan Thoburn, photography educator, as it turns out - agreed.  Below are his generous responses. 

Could you tell us a little bit about your background and how your interest in, and understanding of Photography has unfolded?
I have always had an interest in the photographic image, even as a child. I was, and still am also very interested in all visual art, but photography seemed to have a special magic. Eventually, at the age of about 20, I began to take my photographs ‘properly’. I went on to study a HND and then a degree, with a view to becoming a professional commercial photographer. While at college, I became more interested in ‘fine art’ photography and began to mainly take that kind of approach to my work. I currently teach photography at degree level at Newcastle College, after progressing from a technician role there.

It seems that you are very immersed within the communities that you shoot within, could you tell us a little more?
I became very engaged with the landscape where I live - classic post-industrial ‘edge lands’, sub-rural kinds of places. (Coincidentally, as many writers, artists and photographers also began to explore such places). I don’t really like to think of myself as a landscape photographer, but it is always the main presence in my pictures. Whilst doing this work, I became quite friendly with some of the people who inhabit and use these spaces - for tethering horses etc. - and began to photograph them. It’s not really ever been social documentary, but more a kind of metaphor for change. I should add, all of my work is ‘work in progress’. I don’t think I have yet produced anything final, or even successful. I’m still working on all that. 

What camera(s) or devices do you use?
I shoot on a Nikon D700 and Fuji X100. Short fixed lenses are very important to me. I don’t do much post production, just brightness and contrast etc. I’m always looking for a straight image with accurate tones.
 
What are your further photography hopes/ambitions?
I would love to have a photo book published (by Steidl – please!) a book is a real lasting legacy I feel.

Which photographers have been influential on your work?
My influences are many I suppose. I now tend to prefer work which is nothing like mine, but it has mainly been Eggleston, Paul Graham, Robert Adams, Raymond Moore...
 
What advice would you offer a young student of photography?
Most of my work probably stems from my own childhood experiences - I wish I had had a camera growing up! There was always something interesting/crazy going on in the 1960s housing development where I grew up, but I missed it all! So - young people - try and record your lives and world when you are young. You will be amazed how it changes.

With many thanks to Alan Thoburn. www.alanthoburn.com​ Instagram: @thofolio