Starting 18th May, the Colmore Business District in Birmingham will play host to ‘take to the streets’, an outdoor exhibition of street photography showcasing over 100 images by seven of Magnum Photos’ most prolific documentary photographers. The project will culminate in a book and a small touring exhibition and the photographs will be added to Birmingham Library’s Collections within the brand new Library of Birmingham opening in 2013, creating an important new chapter in the history of street photography in the city. For more information, visit the website below.

Website: take to the streets

Press Release

take to the streets
IN COLMORE BUSINESS DISTRICT THIS MAY

2011 is unquestionably the year of street photography with a number of exhibitions and festivals exploring the genre taking place in cities across the UK.  Starting from 18 May, the Colmore Business District in Birmingham will play host to ‘take to the streets’, an outdoor exhibition of street photography showcasing over 100 images by seven of Magnum Photos’ most prolific documentary photographers. The exhibition is Birmingham’s contribution to this national phenomenon.

Originally created by FORMAT International Photography Festival, Magnum Photos and Birmingham Library and Archive Services, take to the streets has been brought to Birmingham by a range of public and private sector partners including Colmore Business District, Birmingham City Council, Birmingham City University, Marketing Birmingham, Colmore Plaza, Birmingham City Centre Partnership, Derby City Council, and QUAD.

In addition to showcasing work by some of the world’s leading photographers the outdoor show demonstrates the way in which these partnerships can help transform the public realm through innovative and engaging cultural projects. 

Inspired by the work of the Magnum photographers, staff, students and graduates from Birmingham City University’s photography courses will create a new series of pictures in a range of businesses and locations across Colmore Business District.  The project will culminate in a book and a small touring exhibition and the photographs will be added to Birmingham Library’s Collections within the brand new Library of Birmingham opening in 2013, creating an important new chapter in the history of street photography in the city. 

Gary Cardin, Chair of Colmore Business District, said:

“We are delighted to sponsor and present such a diverse and intriguing outdoor collection of photography for people to enjoy. We want to bring art to Colmore Business District’s streets to rejuvenate and refresh them, and also deliver interesting cultural projects to people in the District in an accessible way. You can visit this exhibition on your way to and from work, in between meetings or at the weekend.”

Professor Chris O’Neil, Executive Dean, Birmingham City University, said:

“Birmingham City University are delighted to be developing partnership projects with Birmingham Library Services and Magnum Photos.  We hope that the extraordinary work made by the photographers in streets and cities around the world inspires people to look again and see the beauty and significance of everyday life in the heart of our own city.  We hope that the exhibition also encourages photographers to explore the Colmore Business District and to capture, preserve and reveal what many people do not see, those magical and weird moments that vanish faster than the blink of an eye.”

For more information please visit www.taketothestreetsbirmingham.co.uk

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