Format International Photography Festival (stylised as FORMAT) is a biennial photography festival held in Derby, UK. It takes place in March in various venues in Derby including

Quad Quad as a word or prefix usually means 'four'. It may refer to: Government * Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, a strategic security dialogue between Australia, India, Japan, and the United States * Quadrilateral group, an informal group which inc ...

University of Derby , mottoeng = Experience is the best teacher , established = 1851 – Teacher Training College1992 – gained university status , type = Public , chancellor = William Cavendish, Ear ...

Derby Museum and Art Gallery Derby Museum and Art Gallery is a museum and art gallery in Derby, England. It was established in 1879, along with Derby Central Library, in a new building designed by Richard Knill Freeman and given to Derby by Michael Thomas Bass. The collect ...

Derwent Valley Mills Derwent Valley Mills is a World Heritage Site along the River Derwent in Derbyshire, England, designated in December 2001. It is administered by the Derwent Valley Mills Partnership. The modern factory, or 'mill', system was born here in the 18 ...

, Market Place and in nearby cities. Format comprises "a year-round programme of international commissions, open calls, residencies, conferences and collaborations". Though it exhibits some work by established photographers, it is predominantly a platform for emerging photography. FORMAT was established in 2004 by Louise Clements and Mike Brown, and built on the legacy of the past Derby Photography Festivals. It is organised by QUAD in partnership with the University of Derby. It was Directed by Co-Founder Louise Clements also known as Louise Fedotov-Clements from 2004-2022; in 2017 it was directed by Monica Allende. In 2010 '' The Guardian'' called it "the UK's leading photography festival".

Episodes

2006 – Format06

The theme was "Transform" and it took place in September/October. Included work by Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin.

2009 – Format09

The theme was "Photocinema". Included work by

Aaron Schuman Aaron Schuman (born 1977) is an American photographer, writer, curator and educator based in the United Kingdom. His books of photography include ''Folk'' (2016), ''Slant'' (2019) and ''Sonata'' (2022). Life and work Early life and education Aaron ...

and

Wim Wenders Ernst Wilhelm "Wim" Wenders (; born 14 August 1945) is a German filmmaker, playwright, author, and photographer. He is a major figure in New German Cinema. Among many honors, he has received three nominations for the Academy Award for Best Docum ...

2011 – Format11

The theme was "Right Here, Right Now: Exposures from the Public Realm"— street photography. Included work by

Giacomo Brunelli Giacomo Brunelli (born 1977) is a British/Italian artist working with photography, who lives in London. Brunelli has published the following books of film noir and street photography black and white photographs: ''The Animals'' (2008 and 2016), ' ...

, Raymond Depardon, Bruce Gilden, Joel Meyerowitz,

Chris Steele-Perkins Christopher Horace Steele-Perkins (born 28 July 1947) is a British photographer and member of Magnum Photos, best known for his depictions of Africa, Afghanistan, England, Northern Ireland, and Japan. Life and career Steele-Perkins was born in ...

Raghu Rai Raghu Rai (born 1942), is an Indian photographer and photojournalist. He was a protégé of Henri Cartier-Bresson, who appointed Rai, then a young photojournalist, to Magnum Photos in 1977. Rai became a photographer in 1965, and a year later ...

, Alex Webb, Zhang Xiao, and 60 works by street photography collective In-Public including Nick Turpin. Speakers at the opening weekend included Bruce Gilden,

Nate Larson Nate Larson (born March 16, 1978) is a Baltimore-based artist and photographer known for investigating contemporary American culture and history. Education Larson received a B.A. degree in Photography and Visual Communication Design in 2000 fr ...

, John Maloof on

Vivian Maier Vivian Dorothy Maier (February 1, 1926 – April 21, 2009) was an American street photographer whose work was discovered and recognized after her death. She worked for about 40 years as a nanny, mostly in Chicago's North Shore, while pursuing ...

, Chris Steele-Perkins,

Mark Sealy Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Finn ...

, Amy Stein, Nick Turpin, Michael Wolf and Joel Meyerowitz.

2013 – Format13

The theme and subtitle was "Factory: Mass Production". The festival had two categories: "Focus", which was curated, and "Exposure", "comprising work selected from an open submission programme." Included work by

Ken Grant Ken Grant is a photographer who since the 1980s has concentrated on working class life in the Liverpool area. He is a lecturer in the MFA photography course at the University of Ulster. Life and career Born in Liverpool in 1967,Sean O'Hagan,For ...

, Erik Kessels, and

Archive of Modern Conflict Archive of Modern Conflict (AMC) is an organisation and independent publisher based in Holland Park, London, England. AMC was established in the early 1990s and maintains an archive of vernacular material relating to the history of war, primarily ...

2014 – Format14

Included work by Zhang Xiao.

2015 – Format15

The theme was "evidence" and it was directed by Louise Clements. Included work by

Larry Sultan Larry Sultan (July 13, 1946 – December 13, 2009) was an American photographer from the San Fernando Valley in California. He taught at the San Francisco Art Institute from 1978 to 1988 and at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco ...

and Mike Mandel (''Evidence'').

2016 – Format16

An off-year episode. The theme was called "reGeneration3" and it was curated by the

Musée de l'Élysée Musée de l'Élysée is a museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, entirely devoted to photography. It is a government-supported institution founded in 1985 by Charles-Henri Favrod. It was housed in an 18th-century mansion until October 2020.

(Lausanne, Switzerland). Included "work by some 50 students of 25 different nationalities and 40 art institutions".

2017 – Format17

The theme was "Habitat"—"landscape, environment, migration, digital worlds, ideas of home and displacement, conflict and regeneration". The headline exhibition explored the Anthropocene. Included work by

David Moore David Moore may refer to: Politics * David E. Moore (1798-1875), American politician in Virginia * David Moore (Australian politician) (1824–1898), politician in Sandridge, Victoria, Australia * David Moore (Manx politician), member of the H ...

(his play ''The Lisa and John Slideshow''),

Lisa Barnard Lisa Barnard (born 1967) is a documentary photographer, political artist, and a reader in photography at University of South Wales. She has published the books ''Chateau Despair'' (2012), ''Hyenas of the Battlefield, Machines in the Garden'' (20 ...

Sohrab Hura Sohrab Hura (born 17 October 1981) is an Indian photographer based in New Delhi. He is a full member of Magnum Photos. Hura's self-published trilogy ''Sweet Life'' comprises the books ''Life is Elsewhere'' (2015), ''A Proposition for Departure'' ...

Ursula Biemann Ursula Biemann (born 8 September 1955) is a Swiss video artist, curator, educator, and art theorist.Yvonne Volkart (2010, 2016). Biography Born on 8 September 1955 in Küsnacht. Biemann trained in art in Boston, Mexico and New York, graduating ...

, John Maclean, Tom Hunter and from the W. W. Winter studio in Derby. The Format Conference included a talk by

Martin Parr Martin Parr (born 23 May 1952) is a British documentary photographer, photojournalist and photobook collector. He is known for his photographic projects that take an intimate, satirical and anthropological look at aspects of modern life, in p ...

2018 – Format18

Included work by

Mark Neville Mark Neville (born 1966) is a British social documentary photographer. Life and work Neville studied Fine Arts at Reading University, Berkshire (B.A.), Goldsmiths' College in London (M.A.) and the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam, Netherlands. As an ...

(''Displaced Ukrainians'' and ''Battle Against Stigma'').

References

External links

*{{Official website, www.formatfestival.com Art biennials Art festivals in the United Kingdom British biennial events Photography festivals