Photoresearcher Magazine

The European Society for the History of Photography (ESHPh) and Belfast Photo Festival (BPF) collaborated on the editing and launch of journal PhotoResearcher No. 43, titled “Photography & Festivals: 15 Years of Belfast Photo Festival”.

This special issue of PhotoResearcher aims to inspire scholars, curators, and artists to reflect on photography festivals in an academic context and to investigate them as a phenomenon; a particular mode of presentation, circulation, and production of images. 

The issue was guest-edited by Michael Weir, CEO of BPF and included, Dr. Hanin Hannouch - VP, The European Society for the History of Photography, Louise Fedotov-Clements - Director, Photoworks, Hannah Crowdy - Head of Curatorial, National Museums NI,  Tom Seymour - Independent Journalist and Lecturer. 

Paal Otnes - Curator, Preus Museum and more. 

Although photography festivals are not yet an established field of research in the history or theory of photography, readers of PhotoResearcher No. 43 will encounter a combination of international voices positioning festivals in a variety of socio-cultural settings: As engines of collaboration with local museums, as contributors to the visibility of the climate crisis, as engines of artistic production, etc. The inspiration behind this publication stems from the desire to honour the legacy of Belfast Photo Festival, which was founded back in 2009, and to take stock of how it changed the ecosystem which gave rise to it.

The journal’s editorial is open-access and can be downloaded here.