From Winnatts to Chatsworth, by camera

From Winnatts Pass to Chatsworth House:

Reimaging the Peaks

Buxton Opera House: Val Dalling

On the 8^th October a group of bold photographers set out with Chris Gilbert of Raven’s Eye to explore a connection between 18^th and 19^th Century prints of the Peaks and those same views seen through a 21^st century eye and 21^st century technology….

our team at Cressbrook Mill, Sarah Parkin

Clapper Bridge, Sarah Parkin

In their own words:

Sarah P:  

I like the idea of trying to recreate previous artists’ views or reinterpreting a view.  A historical ‘Proloco’ type thing…something I may revisit. Exhibitions inc historical imagery alongside current, appeals…

Chris:  

One of the things that the workshop has really made me think about is focal length and the role it plays in composition. It's something that I talk about a lot in my workshops anyway but working with the old prints really emphasised it for me.

 

a 19th Century view of Winnatts Pass

Valerie:

I thought this would be an excellent learning curve for me, and it certainly proved to be the case. as I continue to discover what the Peak District has to offer. This day was without exception one of the best I've attended, it was not only intellectually and historically informative, but it was also a most relaxing day where I felt completely at ease and with a great picnic into the bargain...perfect.

Winnats Pass, now: Nigel Slater

Spencer: 
 Chris' advice about simplifying techniques to allow more opportunity to think about composition was really useful. I tend to work on manual, so using aperture priority and exposure compensation was really refreshing and allowed me to think more about what I was trying to capture.  

Spencer: The historical context provided by looking at the prints was also really interesting.  As someone who works in a museum I am aware of historic images of Derbyshire as photographs, on paper and on porcelain but it was nice to link them with my own photography…

Monsall Head viaduct in the early 20th Century

and almost the same view 100 years later, Nick Hillman

Nigel: 

It's certainly reignited my desire to get out into the Peak District and do more photography.

 

view from Monsall Head, Nigel Slater

Another participant has posted on his own blog about the day - thank you, Nick. 

This was one of our Collections in the Landscape Knowledge Seeker 
Workshops. Others include a Poetry Workshop while on the horizon is an opportunity to work with Flint Knapper James Dilley, to walk the ancient landscape of Arbor Low with archaeologist Bill Bevan, 21^st December, a whole day of maps, walks and the exploring the layered history of Castleton and Hope: date to be confirmed, in the spring of 2017

After that there will be another 2 similar workshops within the Collections project

another take on Winnatts Pass, Spencer Bailey

Collections in the Landscape

This workshop is one of a series being organised as part of Buxton Museum and Art Gallery’s Collections in the Landscape (CITL) project. With a grant from the Heritage Lottery, the Museum is changing the way people can access the Collections. As well as physical changes to the Museum itself, collections are going on-line and a series of apps will encourage people to connect places with Museum treasures even when they are out walking in the Peaks. Within the wider project, Creeping Toad is coordinating public events both in the Museum and out in the Peaks, offering people to explore aspects of the Collection in creative, engaging and often rather messy ways. Creeping Toad events are advertised in both the Museum events guide and on this blog

Find out more:  https://collectionsinthelandscape.wordpress.com/about/