The Fitzrovia Photography Prize ‘Within A Mile’
First Prize: Julian Wakeling
Runners Up: Julija Svetlova & Kayne Li Lui Sang
Laura Noble: Curator
Eleanor Kelly: Assistant Curator
Guests gathered in the historically Bohemian area of Fitzrovia in London in anticipation to hear the results of the Fitzrovia Photography Prize 2011. The atmosphere buzzed with the activity going on in the neighbourhood’s vibrant streets where creative spark, despite the collapse of many of London’s past creative hubs, was greater than in the years of resident artisans, Walter Sickert, Dylan Thomas and Nina Hamnet. The key aim of the exhibition and competition was to celebrate the long line of creative wealth an activity which has, and to this day still continues, to surround the district of Fitzrovia by showcasing the work of upcoming photographers from both local, national and global regions.
The rules of the competition were simple: Each entrant could submit up to three images taken within a one mile radius of the premises of Diemar/Noble Photography, London, [Map ref: H8.] The location of each photograph then had to be illustrated by its corresponding grid reference. Unsuprisingly this unique and innovative edge to the competition led entries to come pouring in from photographers down the road to photographers in Canada and other areas of Europe. Not only did the diversity of photographers call upon the reflection of the many facets of city life, ‘whereby everyday moments become breathtakingly perceptible & extraordinary’, but it also reflected the wealth of talent within the photography industry.
The resulting images submitted into the competition evoked a plethora of emotions, visual elements and artistic concepts. While some captured the area with feelings of romance, others drew on absurdity, political unrest, national celebration and comedy. ‘Poignant’ is the word one would use to describe the mass of photographs which the competition attracted. Why? Because ach photograph captures, in their individual and unique ways, quit moments of poignant observation which, when viewed as a whole, enable one to construct a genuine portrait of London in all its diverse, national glory.
Congratulations go to the competition winner, Julian Wakeling and the runners up, Julija Svetlova and Kayne Li Lui Sang for their exceptional talent and photographic skill. XXXX Magazine looks forward to hearing more about these photographers in the future. Watch this space.
