Derbyshire's international photography festival FORMAT21 explores response to Covid pandemic

A mass participation archive of the world’s response to Covid-19, featuring a selection of 40,000 images submitted from around the globe by professional and amateur photographers and members of the public features in the tenth edition of the festival.

The archive has also been transformed into a ‘wrap’ of the building which houses the arts centre QUAD, joint organisers of the festival in partnership with the University of Derby.

A giant mosaic is composed of 180,574 exhibits from the photographic exhibition which feature in the photograph Lovers, shot by Argentinian photographers Luisa Magdalena and Nahuel Alfonso. The mosaic is inspired by Renè Magritte’s painting Les Amants and has been created and produced by The People’s Picture.

Louise Fedotove Clements, director of FORMAT, said: “Lovers was selected to be the focal point to unite the huge selection of images, encapsulating the feeling of hope that so many of us have clung to over the past year and gives us a glimpse into the intimacy, friendship, laughter and love that is awaiting us as we begin to exit the pandemic.”

The festival includes Mitchell Moreno’s exhibition entitled Pandemaniac exploring mental health under lockdown and artwork by Tabita Rezaire, Juliana Huxtable and Martine Gutierrezstyle which examines the body as open to the possibility of control and is called Matrix – fluid body, unlimited thoughts.

FORMAT21 is available online until April 11, 2020. Go to https://formatfestival.com

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