Hello again

Here's a short Newsletter for Subscriber Plus supporters of Offline Journal that provides some news updates and a special guest-written article on a small exhibition of Ron McCormick's photographs selected from his archive.

There is also news on the second of four online discussion sessions featuring photographers who collaborated with myself to create the first CHAOTIC publication fshowcasing early-stage projects - with the session taking place at 8pm this Sunday 22 March.

Brian

CHAOTIC DISCUSSION #2 this Sunday 8pm

Following the first online discussion component of Offline Journal's CHAOTIC group publication with photographers Tamsin Stirling and Owen Pritchard, this Sunday 22 March has David Mayne and Mohamed Hassan discuss their project contributions and take questions from a live audience, starting 8pm.

The CHAOTIC project is an Offline Journal collaboration with a first cohort of photographers Marc Arkless, Nate Davies, Mohamed Hassan, David Mayne, Bartosz Nowicki, Owen Pritchard, and Tamsin Stirling.

Audience invitations have today been emailed in advance to Offline Journal Subscriber Plus supporters with an active subscription to the printed bundle of this first CHAOTIC #1 publication and the next Offline Journal issue #015 (coming their way in May). Invites also went out to those who purchased a copy of CHAOTIC #1 from the Offline online store.

Check your email inbox for your invitation with the Zoom link for 8pm this Sunday 22 March (or your spam folder - just in case it popped in there!).

We hope you can join us 8pm Sunday for an hour of engaging photography discussion!

EastEnder: Ron McCormick

Newsletter Article by Stephen Clarke

A common concern for photographers is getting a wall space to exhibit their projects. There seems to be limited space, and little interest, by the established photography galleries for the work of many whose practice does not subscribe to current concerns. Driven by funding, these older gallery spaces tend to focus attention on social engagement rather than the work of individual practitioners.

With this restriction in mind, I started to organise small exhibitions in Chester. These exhibitions have been solo shows – work by one photographer or artist. There is no funding for these exhibitions and little support, but each show has been successful in that they have drawn some attention. These exhibitions started at Chester Pride’s Rainbow Tea Rooms in September 2023 with a collaboration between myself and the illustrator Steph Coathupe; titled Up Deva it included ten photomontages. This was followed by an exhibition of photographs by Christine Beckett, who had documented the drag kings scene in Manchester; then photomontages by the sculptor Richard Crooks from his artist residency in Tokyo; and then photographs by Tony Hayes of reflections in shop windows. The final exhibition in this space (2025) presented photographs by David Wright of contemporary subcultures.

In November 2025, I started to use the gallery in the Seaborne Library at the University of Chester. In this space I have developed a working model with Tim Grady, Professor of Modern European History, in that we combine a visual arts exhibition with displays from other disciplines. The first of these combined shows was the photomontages of the printmaker David Ferry alongside panels about the lifestyle magazine Cheshire Life. The second exhibition brings together photographs by Ron McCormick of the East End of London and the touring show The Wandering Jew from the Holocaust Centre North. Titled EastEnder: Ron McCormick, these prints were selected and installed by the Level 4 Photography students at the University of Chester.

Ron McCormick had arrived in London in the late 1960s to study painting at the Royal Academy. While studying at the Academy, he started to utilize photography as part of his practice. Ron was entirely self-taught in this new media and knew very little about the practice of documentary. It was from these inauspicious beginnings that he began to make pictures of his neighbours in London’s East End. This area of London has a history of providing a haven for immigrants. In particular, the East End became the home to a large Jewish community.

These early photographs by Ron McCormick capture the details of everyday life such as the man carrying away a chair from a derelict cafe and the wine merchant locking his cellar store beneath the Spitalfields Great Synagogue. In addition, Ron’s pictures provide a record of landmarks such as the Bloom’s Kosher food factory at 111 Wentworth Street in Spitalfields, and Black Lion Yard (now demolished) in Whitechapel known for its Jewish jewellers.

In the late 1970s, as an experienced and exhibited documentary photographer, Ron McCormick moved to South Wales. He took on the role of the artist-in-residence at Newport College of Art, and then stayed on to teach at Newport on the famed Documentary Photography course. He continues to live in the city, and keeps an involvement with upcoming photography gallery spaces, such as Ffoto Newport and now Clwb Ffoto. For me, Ron sets an example of the commitment needed to support emerging initiatives, and of the energy and perseverance needed to find wall space for the work of independent photographers who find themselves outside of the present exhibition policies. 

Stephen Clarke
Senior Lecturer in Critical and Contextual Studies at the University of Chester
https://www.stephenclarkearchive.com

Exhibition details:
Seaborne Library
Exton Park, University of Chester
Parkgate Road, Chester CH1 4BJ

Friday 20th February - 20th April 2026. 

The exhibition is open to the public 8:30 am-8 pm Monday - Friday,
and midday - 6 pm, Saturday and Sunday.
Visitors are required to sign in at the reception desk.

EYE FESTIVAL TICKETS

With the four guest photographers announced for the speaker day on Saturday 16th May and event programme still being tied down for Sunday 17th, The EYE Festival now has tickets available to purchase for the weekend of photography in Newport.

Described by photojournalist and Festival Director Glenn Edwards as "...bringing Documentary Photography home to Newport", The EYE Festival will see David Hurn open a new exhibition of his work titled 'PATTERNS' in CLWB FFOTO, located in Newport Arcade, on Friday 15th May from 6pm.

The Eye International Photography Festival
Festival programme on website
Friday 15 - Sunday 17 May 2026
Riverfront Theatre & Arts Centre, and various venues around Newport
www.theeyefestival.com