Photography and Archives
Birmingham Photography and Archive Research Group
The Birmingham Photography and Archive Research Group (BPARG) brings together practitioners and academics interested in exploring the relationship between photography and a multiplicity of archival forms and practices.
Membership of the group encompasses expertise in photographic history and theory as well as photographic and curatorial practice. We host a number of funded research projects and have a range of national and international collaborations.
We have close links with Birmingham Central Library, which holds a nationally significant photographic collection, and with whom we have collaborated on numerous research and exhibition projects. We also host an AHRC-funded doctoral project in collaboration with Belfast Exposed Gallery.
Recent completed projects include:
- Robert Frank's 'The Americans': The Art of Documentary Photography by Jonathan Day. Published by Intellect Books, 2010.
- People Apart: Cape Town Survey 1952. Photographs by Bryan Heseltine. Exhibition at the Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford (19 July 2011 – 8 January 2012). Curated by Darren Newbury, with the assistance of Christopher Morton and Jaanika Vider.
- Why Contribute to the Spread of Ugliness? Ikon Gallery (30 November 2011 – 5 February 2012), Birmingham. Photography and video exhibition by Stuart Whipps.
- Take to the Streets. Exhibition and legacy project in collaboration with Magnum Photos, Birmingham City Council and Colmore Business District.
Researchers
Stuart Whipps