Events

Rhubarb-Rhubarb

Rhubarb-Rhubarb - The White Tent - Portrait of Birmingham

24th -29th May 2007

Venue: Sited outside at Bullring in St Martin's Square, between Selfridges & St Martin's Church
http://www.rhubarb-rhubarb.net

Rhubarb-Rhubarb –The UK’s International Festival of the Image – The White Tent – Portrait of Birmingham

For five days in May this year, renowned photographer Barry Lewis will visit Birmingham with his White Tent. Sited outside at Bullring, in St Martin’s Square, between Selfridges and St Martins Church, the Tent will be the studio where Barry will shoot 1500 portraits, celebrating the internationalism of Birmingham’s residents and visitors.

The project is managed by Rhubarb-Rhubarb – The UK’s International Festival of the Image, in collaboration with Bullring and Birmingham City Council via its Urban Fusion strategy for creating large scale projects which profile Birmingham as a city for creative excellence.

Barry Lewis is a major name in the world of international photography. He was a member of the Network photographers group, specialising in documentary. He now has an advertising and editorial list of renowned clients, and the White Tent project is his own interest.

Barry Lewis has chosen Birmingham to be the first city to include in his ground breaking White Tent project, which sets out to create a Portrait of Britain in the Millenium. He has chosen Birmingham as the city he considers best represents diversity, internationalism and style.

In The White Tent to date, Barry has taken single events, such as a Wedding, Cricket Match or the Glastonbury Festival, and installed himself and his white portrait tent to create series of portraits, which will combine to show a contemporary Portrait of Britain. Rhubarb is proposing to bring in a wide range of interest groups – ie. Politicians from the city and visiting politicians from other countries, celebrities within the media, architects, designers, builders, students, creatives, community groups, photographers, school groups etc.

In addition, each subject photographed will be able to download a low resolution version of their own image online, or a low cost larger print, from Fotobox.

Students and trainees will work alongside Barry, as the professional development aspect of the project, to provide experience of large scale projects. They will be asking questions about the city, its architecture, why it’s a good place to be.

Rhubarb is working towards showing some of the images, life size, at its Festival in July.

*For more details, or to register your interest in being photographed, please contact: Rhonda Wilson on 0121 773 7889
Or email: rx@rhubarb-rhubarb.net*

Rhubarb-Rhubarb, 212 The Custard Factory, Gibb Street, Digbeth, Birmingham B9 4AA