Mark Adams
Senior Lecturer: Photography
School of Art, Design & Computer Science
T: 01904 876682

I am a Senior Lecturer in Photography at York St John University. My photographic practice and research is situated within the broad context of landscape representation and involves an ongoing preoccupation with the meta-language of film and its distancing affect from observed reality. Over the past 20 years I have explored themes such as psychogeography, urban regeneration and Jean Baudrillard's concept of the simulacrum while photographing sites of architectural development and neglected urban or suburban environments. Much of this practice involves a process of walking as a significant factor in the creation of narrative.
I received an MA from the Royal College of Art in 2001 where I received the Chris Garnham Memorial Prize for photography. I am a member of Millennium Photographers Agency and am also represented by IRIS Artistic Platform, Arcangel Images and Art Photo Index.
Further Information
Teaching
I have 15 years of teaching experience in Higher Education and have taught photography at both undergraduate and graduate levels in England and the United States.
Research
Between 2007 and 2016 I developed a series of projects that explored extended walks, following paths of historical and cultural significance. These projects provided the foundation for a practice-led PhD that investigates the cognitive and intuitive activity of walking as a primary motivation for photographing landscapes. My thesis provides an on-going enquiry into the relationship between the walking, photography and the use of technological navigation tools and maps. This creates a hybrid experience that leads to an embodied experience of place within my practice.
Publications and Conferences
Selected Exhibitions
2017: GM Art Prize Exhibition, Chamber of Commerce, Manchester.
2016: Waterways (Solo), Bradford Industrial Museum, Bradford, West Yorkshire
2016 Northern Light Conference, Landscape & the North, Sheffield Hallam University, Yorkshire
2015: 23:57 COP21: A response to UN Climate Change Conference. Fuse Art Space. Bradford
2015: Third Space: Landscapes & Windows (Solo), PS Mirabel Gallery, Manchester
2014: Art in the Eastside, Billboard Installation, Belfast, Northern Ireland
2014: Seeing Beckett, Liverpool Irish Festival, John Moores University, Liverpool
2013: Royal Photographic Society, International Print Exhibition, Shire Hall, Stafford
2012: Renaissance Photography Prize Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London
2011: Art Moves Festival, Torun, Poland
2011: Kodachrome, Association of Photographers Gallery, London
2006: Artists Responding to Violence Against the Earth, Houston Foto festival : Museum of Cultural Arts, Houston, Texas, USA
2004: Annual Juried Show. Contemporary Artists Center, North Adams, Massachusetts, USA
Selected Publications
2017 Northern Light Landscape & the North (Conference Publication), Sheffield Hallam University, Yorkshire
2015: Der Greif, Arts Magazine. Issue 8. Germany.
2015: Art Monthly (Exhibition Review): April Issue
2014: Paris Lit Up Magazine: Autumn Issue
2014: Index: Cafe Royal Books
2014: London Independent Photography Magazine: Spring Issue
2008: Postcard, Laurence King Publishing
2002: Next Level Photography Magazine: Edition 2 Volume 1
Curatorial
2016: Transition: Prints and Postcards, PS Mirabel Gallery, Manchester
Awards
2017: Greater Manchester Art Prize, Finalist
2014: PS Mirabel Open: PS Mirabel, Manachester, Winner
2005: International Photography Awards: Fine Art Category
2001: Chris Garnham Memorial Prize: Royal College of Art, London
2000: Folio SOciety Illustration Awards: Royal College of Art, London