Nathan Orchard, Carved by Hate
Erin Todd, House is a Feeling
Katie Weller, It's not finished….. yet
Ell Hammond, Dining table ghost from The Ghost Exists
From the talented artists in BA (Hons) Photography Graduating Class at the University of Derby – Ell Hammond, Erin Todd, Katie Weller and Nathan Orchard, were selected by Jodi Kwok and Jenna Eady for the FORMAT Graduate Award due to their distinct work. Ell, Erin, Katie and Nathan are presenting their work in FORMAT25, continuing a legacy of outstanding Graduates from this course exhibiting in FORMAT.
The Graduates Award aims to give these determined recent graduates further professional experience by exhibiting their work at one of Europe’s most prestigious photography festivals.
Ell Hammond’s The Ghost Exists and so do I is a self-portrait, performance, and examination of their own feelings of being non-binary and how they are not readily accepted into this world. This artwork depicts the emphasis of the Ghost character and how they feel and embody it. The Ghost is a safety blanket that they use to shelter themselves; it’s how they keep going. The Ghost symbolises all their insecurities, and all their worries.
Erin Todd’s House is a Feeling explores the continuing rave culture in the UK, and how the youth of the 90s are still dancing. These Photographs were taken at an Amnesia House event in Coventry on the 6 April 2024, and they show people of all ages dancing till the early hours. These images have been distorted using an overlay of a UV paint image. The UV colour represents the feeling of being at these raves, recreating the experience that Erin and many other ravers feel when being on the dancefloor. They capture the true ravers in a euphoric state, while showing an authentic rave experience, inviting the viewer to travel back in time to this scene that began in the late 80s.
Katie Weller’s It’s not finished….. yet would like the audiences to give yourself the space to reflect. Reflect on how each click of the shutter marks a confrontation with the fleeting nature of our reality, a testament to the relentless passage of time. Reflect on how each word that is written describes the fluid manifestation of the innermost thoughts and emotions that appear in this space. These images are not finished narratives, but open-ended questions. They invite you to contemplate the spaces between breaths and the pause before the next piece. Like the tide, my work is in constant motion, forever shifting, forever evolving. What you see today may be transformed tomorrow, a reflection of the ever-changing nature of time itself.
Nathan Orchard’s Carved by Hate is a plea to the people outside the LGBT community. One thing that is prevalent within queer culture is a sense of othering and abuse. The queer community has always faced adversity and persecution both physically and verbally. It is the verbal abuse that they are highlighting within this work. By carving the words on their skin, they are forcing the viewer to look at a brutal reality. Simple words that roll off the tongue so easily and can have a profound effect on someone’s mental state. Barbaric words like ‘Faggot’ should be left in the past with the other archaic stereotypes that are often portrayed in an attempt to other the queer community.
