Following a year of change wrought by the global pandemic, the Stirling Photography Festival Creative Team was optimistic for a return to some normality in 2021. We shared the feeling of being swept along on the tide of COVID, slightly out of control, learning to ride waves of uncertainty, adjusting to a new year and to a new situation.
Looking back, we had entered 2020 with great intentions. The theme of “Our World 2020” suggested energy, challenge, optimism, an opportunity to explore the “big issues” and to invite our community to connect, to express their thoughts and feelings through photography. Suddenly, Our World had transformed and we were strangely united through the changes brought about by the pandemic.
The Creative Team learned and adapted through 2020, emerging better prepared for 2021. Early in the year we worked with Laura Fyfe: the Stirling Makar, to reflect and look ahead, emerging with the theme of Flow. This felt perfect; we were moving forward, being carried along together by something greater than ourselves, adjusting to the new world landscape.
An overriding legacy from this time was strength of our community. Through “Our World 2020” and “Flow 2021” we grew new and nurtured established partnerships. Joining with Flow Photofest Inverness bringing Frances Scott’s “A9” monograph to exhibit in both cities through August, a striking collection that connected us literally! Through Street Level Photoworks of Glasgow, Frank McIlhenny brought his award-winning collection of the River Forth taken from a kite. Great supporters: Stills of Edinburgh ran a unique series of talks adding depth and breadth to the festival programme and Jessops returned with their popular children’s workshops.
Embracing technology brought unforeseen benefits, gathering new followers in the UK and internationally. We embraced the ‘new normal’ developing a blended programme of exhibitions, online talks, outdoor events, and small group workshops. Working online with artists from Italy, Romania, and Tasmania spotlighted Stirling as a wonderfully creative place. Online events were accessible to those unable to travel to Stirling, drawing a new worldwide audience. Live events allowed us to connect local communities of interest—working with curators, poets, environmentalists, a dancer, and an expert in post-industrial landscapes – a core aim of our festival being to facilitate relationships and create opportunities to learn and grow. Flow 2021 delivered its aims of new and rich opportunities, encouraging growth and enriching our community.
Janie Meikle Bland
Festival Creative Team