Drawn to Rock - An exhibition by Joe Cornish

Brimham Rocks Joe Cornish Exhibition 1

See Brimham Rocks in a whole new light in an exciting exhibition by esteemed photographer, Joe Cornish. Inspired to capture the beautiful landscape from a new perspective, Joe’s images reveal Brimham from a point of view few people see.

21 June - 30 November 2021

As part of the 50 years of the National Trust at Brimham Rocks anniversary, renowned Yorkshire landscape photographer Joe Cornish has produced a new exhibition of works that will be on display here at the Brimham Rocks visitor centre.

Nightwatch
Brimham Rocks Joe Cornish Exhibition 2
Nightwatch

Joe has a real passion for Brimham Rocks and understands the raw magical power that this special place can have and wished to convey the spirit of Brimham in a whole new light. The majority of people that visit do so during the day time hours so Joe wanted to capture Brimham at a time when few people see the rocks and the countryside, at night. Through Joe’s night time images, Brimham takes on a very different but powerful guise, as he plays with light and shadows.

" "The photographs and mixed media pieces for this exhibition were created through numerous visits to Brimham in many conditions, and subsequent ruminations on the nature of geological time. Inspired by what lies above the surface, the intention is to reflect on what lies beneath it, something that finds its equivalent in the human condition. Although landscape photography remains the primary form of expression, by using words and paint as well I hope to question the hard boundaries that exist between different media, as well as exploring the interplay of material and energy inherent in sedimentary geology.” "

Not all of Joe’s works for the exhibition are taken at night and some of his daylight images display a variety of depths of field, showing the rock formations many know so well, countered against extreme closeups of the rock structures within the same image.

Although known primarily as a photographer, Joe hasn’t always worked in this medium, originally beginning his artistic career working in fine art. Through his work on this project, Joe wanted to combine his photography work with the chance to go back to his fine art beginnings. The results therefore show an experimental aspect to his work combining photographs with added elements of paint and text.

The Writing Desk and beyond
Brimham Rocks Joe Cornish Exhibition 3
The Writing Desk and beyond

Exhibitions are a fantastic way to display artistic works, but Joe wanted to go a step further and share his skills, experience and knowledge with people. So in addition to his exhibition, Joe will be running workshops at Brimham, the perfect place to practice and hone the skills of any budding landscape photographer.

We'll have some more information about the workshops here soon.