In 2011 we were asked to be involved in the FORMAT International Photography Festival and we are very pleased to have been invited back to participate in the 2013 event.
The festival creates huge international interest and creates a buzz and a great influx of visitors to the City. Events of this range are normally based in the capital so it is a huge credit to the organisers that they can bring people from across the globe to the Midlands.
Running from the 8th of March until the 7th of April there are dozens of exhibitions, events, work shops, projects and all manner of educational engagements for students, amateur and professional photographers alike.
The launch event in Derby’s Cathedral Square on the 7th was well attended despite the rain and provided a spectacular start to the festival. Staged by Elemental Force, using light, fire, sound & performance it was a memorable big bang to start the ball rolling.
Taking this years central theme FACTORY the performance took the audience through the history of Derby, placing it at the start of the industrial revolution and mass manufactured production. The creative use of animated projection, fireworks and explosions and a fairly terrifying high wire act really took the audiences mind off the inclement weather.
The evening also saw the opening of three themed exhibitions at Derby’s Museum & Art Gallery. The lead event here being a tour de force show of new work by renowned Midlands based photographer Brian Griffin. From the FORMAT site “In Still Waters, a new commission for FORMAT, Griffin has created a cinematic series of portraits featuring the business leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs who have influenced the shape of Derby’s cultural, economic and industrial landscape. Amongst these portraits appear an intimate series of ‘growth-like’ still-life photographs.” Read more about Griffin here.
With the festival now in full flow we are providing the printing power behind the MobFORMAT: The Press photographic social media project. Headed by Misho Baronovic and driven by social photography app EyeEM, the projects invites photographers from around the world to contribute to the themes Work, Treasure & Trash. 
The images are printed on our HPZ5200, trimmed and sorted by the volunteers and then grouped in the space by visitors to the exhibition. During the period of the project the space will evolve from white walls to a collage of connections made by the audience. To join in with the project, download the free EyeEM app to your phone and submit you own visual ideas on the themes. Submissions are now in their thousands with new images being sent in all the time. If you are in the Derby area, visit the Chocolate Factory site and help by pasting your selections into the piece.
We have also helped with a number of other presentations including Derby Art Work (providing some very large format mapping data and prints), another opportunity to contribute and curate to a growing work, and the Stood Still In Time display in QUAD showing aspects of Derby’s industrial history.
Later in the festival we will also be giving a prize to a selected contributor, details of this to follow. FORMAT13 is an amazing event, which has been long in organisation but has delivered an extraordinary level of talent and breadth of style to the City. John E. Wright are very pleased to be able to help with the project and look forward to making further contributions. Visitors who have creative projects or exhibitions forthcoming that need creative solutions, digital print applications or other visual materials should contact us for help and advice.
