Student's debut exhibition a 'great success'

A Bedales Sixth Form student and aspiring photographer who hosted his debut photography exhibition in London this month has described the event as a “great success”.

Dan Hall, who is currently in 6.2 (Year 13) at Bedales, organised and hosted the exhibition – Eternal Youth – at J/M Gallery on Portobello Road, London, from 6-8 March. He welcomed 900 visitors to the exhibition, raising almost £2,000 for charities Age UK and Young Minds through the sale of his prints and photobooks.

The exhibition showcased a series of Dan’s photographs shot exclusively on 35mm film, which focus on self-reflection and self-consciousness, exploring the contrasts and similarities between the young and the elderly. Photographing people close to him for the project for over a year, Dan discovered that despite having different attitudes to beauty, both age groups share similar feelings of isolation and loneliness.

Planning for the exhibition began last summer, when Dan launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds to host an exhibition to celebrate shooting his 100th roll of film. In the build-up to the show, Dan secured press coverage in a range of publications, including i-D magazine and the British Journal of Photography. Bedales Art teacher Kate Thorne described the effort as “a huge undertaking and an incredible journey”.

Dan said: “It was brilliant to see my work in big sizes on the walls as I have only ever seen my pictures on a laptop screen. Thank you to everyone who donated at the beginning. Thank you also to those who visited or supported the charities by purchasing a book or print.”

Head of Bedales Magnus Bashaarat added: “This exhibition is a great example of student initiative. Dan will have learnt a lot from taking the concept through from initial idea to exhibition and photobook production. Congratulations to Dan.”

A limited number of photobooks are still available to buy for £15 via Dan’s website, here.