City Lab comes into focus for FORMAT exhibition

The Derby City Lab is set to host an exhibition as part of the FORMAT international photography festival.

From Friday 17 March to Sunday 9 April, the St James’s Street venue will be occupied by The Sustainable Photobook (SPP) network –  a group of photographers, publishers, academics and writers who discuss and share knowledge on issues around environmentally conscious approaches to photobook publishing in printed form.

Throughout FORMAT, the lab will host an exhibition called The Sustainable Photobook – and be home to SPP’s Case Study Reading Room, which seeks to engage photobook makers and consumers in a discussion about sustainability.

It will discuss how books are made, distributed, and how to make responsible choices as a consumer.

According to SPP, the photobook industry has grown exponentially over the years.

During the pandemic the photobook economy boomed, with publishers reporting record sales.

The SPP said: “Given its growing size and influence, the photobook community has a responsibility to think about how we design, make, and distribute our books, yet the urgent topic of sustainability is nowhere near the forefront of recent discussions.

“To understand the relevance of thinking about environmentally conscious practices, we need to consider how books are made and what happens to them when they are no longer needed.”

A key SPP network initiative is a series of case studies on photobooks, the majority of which were printed in their country of origin and involved nuanced thinking about materials, equipment, processes, packaging and transportation.

The hands-on reading room at Derby City Lab will showcase a selection of these case study books.

Alongside the exhibition, the SPP will also run a series of events to create discussion and to share practical information.

The first of these events will take place on Saturday 18 March at Derby City Lab, from 10.30am to 1.30pm.

The session, called Rethink, Reuse, Rework: Approaching Sustainable Photobook Making, will be a workshop involving the collaborative development of photobooks using re-purposed materials.

For more information about the workshop and to book places visit here.

For more information about The Sustainable Photobook exhibition visit here.

For more information about all the events taking place during FORMAT visit here.

For more information about Derby City Lab visit Derby City Lab – Marketing Derby.