BBH and The Photographers’ Gallery, two creative institutions based in London’s Soho, have joined forces to help to extend the reach and influence of the Gallery’s programme and activities, by creating content that is distinctive and shareable for younger audiences on key social platforms. The unique new partnership will see the businesses work together to promote key exhibitions and cultural programmes at The Photographers’ Gallery throughout the year.
The Photographers’ Gallery opened in 1971 as the UK’s first independent gallery devoted to photography. It was the first public gallery in the UK to exhibit some of the most influential names in international photography, and over the past four decades has been pivotal in establishing photography as a recognised art form, introducing new audiences to photography and championing its place at the heart of visual culture.
Speaking about the partnership, Stephen Ledger-Lomas, Head of Production at BBH London, said: “Photography is at the core of BBH’s creative output, and since its inception in 1982, the agency has collaborated with some of the world’s most renowned photographers and image makers. This creative relationship with The Photographers’ Gallery is therefore a perfect fit for both brands and we look forward to producing some brilliant, thought-provoking work together.”
The first project to come out of the partnership launches this week and aims to drive new audiences to engage with the influential Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize exhibition (DBPFP19), both online and onsite. The 2019 exhibition showcases the work of four contemporary artists’, Laia Abril, Susan Meiselas, Arwed Messmer and Mark Ruwedel, whose projects explore state and gender politics, social injustice, human rights and conceptual approaches to image making. The winner will be announced on 16th May.
The campaign, created by BBH, comprises a set of distinctive and shareable social content that tell the stories of the photographs within the exhibition. Interviews with the artists, their work itself and footage from the gallery have been combined with archive imagery and film, and edited together to create a piece of film that echoes the topical relevance of the artists’ subject matter.
The provocative film at the heart of the campaign is accompanied by a series of four other short films, which present individual artist profiles. The films were produced by Black Sheep Studios and directed by Korrie Powell. Black Sheep Studios is the creative production studio at BBH, developing and producing film projects with independent directing talent.
Laia Abril
Susan Meiselas
Mark Ruwedel
Arwed Messmer
Ian Heartfield, Chief Creative Officer at BBH London said: “It is important to us that the work we make for The Photographers’ Gallery feels as fresh and original as the artists whose work we are showcasing. These films might technically be ‘ads’, but we don’t want them to feel like ads.”
Natasha Plowright at TPG said:“Our brief to BBH was to create a series of short films that conveyed the contemporary relevance and resonance of the often complex subject matter of the artists’ works in a way that was engaging, exciting and accessible – in particular to a younger audience. The creative team we worked with there took a really interesting and fresh route, bringing a stylistic energy, which we feel have opened up bold new ways of looking at and engaging with these fascinating artists and their projects.”
Creative Credits:
Client name and title: The Photographers’ Gallery, Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2019.
BBH Creative Team: Jennifer Ashton
BBH Chief Creative Officer: Ian Heartfield
BBH Strategist: Alice Walker
BBH Account Director: Josh Morgan
BBH Head of Production: Stephen Ledger-Lomas
BBH Producer: Charlie Hurlock
Production Company: Black Sheep Studios
Director: Korrie Powell
Executive Producer: Stephen Ledger-Lomas
Producer: Nnena Nwakodo
Post Production: Black Sheep Studios / Thom Godsill
Editor/Editing House: Black Sheep Studios / Taylor Fawcett
Sound: String & Tins
