At any given Head On opening night, there were a few key phrases members of the Head On team were commonly met with. It always began with exclamations of delight and awe at the quality of the show. Then, in fairly quick succession, ‘would you like some wine?’ and ‘how do you do it?!’
With the festival now over and the dust settling, it’s time to ask what ‘it’ really is? What was Head On Photo festival 2014’s ‘It’ factor?
To James C. Dooley, Executive Administrator, Alexia Foundation for World Peace, he felt that “(Head On) have produced one of the best photo conferences and exhibitions I have ever seen and been a part of”
At any given Head On opening night, there were a few key phrases members of the Head On team were commonly met with. It always began with exclamations of delight and awe at the quality of the show. Then, in fairly quick succession, ‘would you like some wine?’ and ‘how do you do it?!’
With the festival now over and the dust settling, it’s time to ask what ‘it’ really is? What was Head On Photo festival 2014’s ‘It’ factor?
What was it about Head On 2014 that made it ‘one of the best photo conferences and exhibitions I have ever seen and been a part of” to James C. Dooley (Executive Administrator, Alexia Foundation for World Peace)?
‘It’ is our high quality, thought provoking exhibitions.
A Head On audience is an informed audience. This lets us ask the hard questions and exhibit shows of substance.
Through a series of panels and talks, we asked guests how they photograph with passion and what matters as their projects develop; what makes a great photograph beyond technical expertise?
Exhibitions touched on issues from Domestic and Political Violence to Refugees and Climate Change. Thanks to our team of installers, we paired challenging concepts with dynamic exhibition spaces. One exemplary example of this fusion is Colombian artist Erika Diettes exhibition ‘Sudarios’. Exploring the emotions and trauma of politically fuelled violence in Colombia through portraits of its victims, Sudarios extends its conceptually compelling grounds through its display. From the eaves of St Canice’s Church the show was hung, so mirroring the iconography of the Catholic stained glass windows with the translucent, near ethereal display of the silk-screened prints evoking a sense of spirituality and reverence.
‘It’ is our international relationships.
Maybe it’s our location? Maybe it’s our reputation? Whatever it is, each year we are thrilled to welcome more and more international guests to participate in Head On.
Thanks to the US Consulate, we welcomed three of the big names in American photography. Ben Lowy returned for the 2nd year to educate, entertain and exhibit in equal parts. Chris Rainier joined us as an exhibitor and a speaker, delivering a workshop using technology as a means of empowering communities. James Dooley, executive administrator of the Alexia Foundation, joined us to present Sara Lewkowicz’s powerful show “Shane and Maggie: An Intimate Look at Domestic Violence’. With the assistance of The Swedish Embassy and Stanley St Gallery, we were able to exhibit ‘Boy Stories’ with the accompaniment of artist Johan Willner. We also welcomed Canadian artist Pierre Dalpe and Colombian artist Erika Diettes, whilst exhibiting the work of Chinese artist Chen Wei in association with the Australian China Art Foundation (ACAF). Another highlight was the Australian premiere of work by legendary artist Mary Ellen Mark, presented together with Stills Gallery.
Head On’s far-reaching international reputation was further enhanced as we welcomed international judges for our prizes and further collaborate with festivals around the world.
‘It” is the scale of the festival.
Head On is a big photographic festival. In fact, it is the second largest in the world. As a medium, photography is incredibly diverse and our program embraces that. It’s all about inclusivity.
Somewhere between our international connections, multi-genre exhibitions and fusion of emerging and established artists, we landed on a program with 900 photographers across 150 shows.
We pride ourselves on complementing this breadth with depth. This is not just a myriad of shows, this is a carefully curated reflection on the diversity of the medium.
We extended our prizes to include a multimedia category. We embraced the rise of mobile photography through a 24 hour workshop rub by Ben Lowy. We embraced the power of photography through a workshop on Visual Storytelling run by Chris Rainier for members of the Redfern community. We transformed non-traditional spaces into memorable experiences including transforming a shipping container into a pop up studio in Pitt St Mall run by Head On finalists and friends.
‘It’ is the responses.
The feedback we receive each year not only fuels the passion to continue each year, but also helps us to improve.
Exhibiting artist Leon Gregory said ‘(A) personal thanks from me for the great support you gave to my work – I have been truly blessed. Head On – the gift that keeps on giving.’
First time exhibitor Tami Xiang from Perth said: ‘So blessed to be involved in (Head On) and you guys just absolutely helpful and contributive. People there so humble and genuine – that’s one of most important thing impressed me.’ (sic)
John McDonald, art critic for the Sydney Morning Herald wrote: ‘Head On is simply too big and too popular to be ignored. It attests to an overwhelming public interest in photography as the democratic art form of our age’.
At our heart, we are a community event and we would love to hear your feedback as well. Did we balance breadth with depth? Did we provoke thought or fall short? Please fill out this survey and let us know: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HeadOn2014Feedback
‘It’ was our support.
Funnily enough, those asking ‘how do you do it?’ were usually the answer to their own question. Putting on a festival of such scale is an immense, and immensely rewarding exercise.
Without the generosity of our volunteers, tireless work of our team and continued support of our sponsors, we simply could not have done it (nor continue to). Whether it is a vote of confidence or because you think we need all the help we can get, please show your support by becoming an annual member for Head On: https://headon.org.au/product/annual-membership.
Please contact us if you are interested in volunteering.
‘It’ is what we do next.
Head On Photo Festival 2015 is already in the works – make sure you are subscribed to our mailing list, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to avoid missing out on important updates and announcements.
Image credits: Rob Johnston, Alec Dawson, Moshe Rosenzveig
