Beyond the walls of the exhibition, HŐME was also about people coming together. From the photowalk and picnic to the round-table discussion, and the easy conversations that carried on over food and drink, the weekend had as much to do with community as with photographs. These images capture a little of that atmosphere.
DAY 1
Holmbridge Photo Walk
On the first day of HŐME we organised a gentle(ish) walk around the reservoirs next to Sculpture Lounge. Armed with a shared bag of film courtesy of Take It Easy Lab, we walked, talked and made pictures – before fighting our way through the undergrowth back to the gallery.
The images shown here are a selection of those made on the day, from those who walked it.
Photographers’ Picnic
After the walk we headed back to the gallery for a photographers’ picnic – a loosely organised, bring your own vol-au-vents type affair, with liquid support from the fabulous O’Brien’s Beer Café.
A chance to sit, drink beer, chat and continue the conversations that began on the walk and got slightly lost in the brambles.
Film-Spooling Challenge
Visitors were invited to take part in our inaugural film-spooling challenge to see who could successfully load a roll of 120 film into a Paterson tank inside a changing bag in the fastest time.
David and Ellie recorded the quickest times overall but, as organisers, graciously passed on the prize – a Take it Easy Lab tote and a roll of Kodak Gold – to James Sutherland, whose never-say-die determination shone through even after ten minutes of public struggle and good-natured humiliation.
In the inexperienced league, Sam Welburn took first place and received a “Support Your Local Film Lab” cap, also kindly provided by Take it Easy Lab.
DAY 2
Round Table, Conversation & Pies
We opened the doors and eased into the day with coffee and pastries from Graham’s Coffee, welcoming visitors to spend time with the work, chat about the show and introduce the Photo Social.
To round the weekend off, the exhibiting photographers sat down with visitors to talk through what was on the walls – where the pieces began, how they developed, and what different people saw in them. Proper Pies stepped up with a generous savoury spread that went down a storm.
A huge thanks to everyone who came along, showed work, supported the show, poured drinks, baked, printed, installed, asked questions and made the whole thing feel alive.
