Last weekend for Ballarat photo festival

October 2, 2009: Calling all Victorian-based Photo Reviewers!
This weekend is the last chance to take in the Ballarat International Foto Biennale. The mass of photographic exhibitions that make up the festival won’t come around for another two years, so jump in the car, jump on a train (they leave regularly from Southern Cross station), or oil up the treadly and get yourself to Ballarat for the closing weekend of the show.

Good accommodation is plentiful and modestly priced in and around Ballarat, so bring your toothbrush along!
Friday is late night closing at the Mining Exchange. Take an early mark and take in the seven major exhibitions, 2 TeleFoto presentations and the AIPP/Canon travelling exhibition and pick up an official program to plan the rest of your weekend itinerary.
Wine Ballarat is also holding wine tastings from 4pm – 7pm in the Mining Exchange, for those needing an added incentive.
Saturday sees the judging of the Australian Institute of Professional Photography [AIPP] Victorian Division Victorian Photography Student of the Year Awards for 2009. Entry is limited to students enrolled in AIPP recognised tertiary level courses in Victoria.

Judging commences at around 10am and runs through to 4pm or until all entries have been judged. If you’ve never been to one of these live judgings, it’s both educational (you’ll definitely pick up some tips) and sometimes entertaining, as the panel of judges argue amongst themselves over the merits of individual prints. Venue for the judging is St Patrick’s Community Hall in Dawson Street South, which also is staging four BIFB’09 Fringe Program Exhibitions by Robert Billington (pictured right, Red Boat, by Robert Billington) Maski Hirano (Japan), Mitra Malekzadeh and Kristin Diemer and the Ballarat YMCA Camera Club.
Saturday night sees the final evening of the BIFB’09 Audio Visual Projections Screenings. Last cab off the rank is The Australian Commercial and Media Photographers (ACMP) emerging photographers group ‘Trampoline’ who run an annual audio-visual competition for their members, ‘Projections ’09’.
Venue for the Projections series is the Old Law Courts Theatre at the University of Ballarat Arts Academy Campus in Camp Street, directly behind the Mining Exchange. Show starts at 7.30pm. Tickets are $10 on the door or from the Mining Exchange.
Sunday afternoon at 2.30pm in the Art Gallery of Ballarat, the curator of the ‘Book Show 1 – Intimate Moments’, Juno Gemes from Sydney, presents a floor talk about the show in particular, but also the role of the photographic publication, as well as the role one off, or very small editions of handmade books play in the arts practice of some photographers.
And of course it’s also your last chance to explore the BIFB’09 Fringe Exhibition Program which is scattered far and wide across Ballarat and the Hepburn Shire, from Smeaton to Trentham, from Clunes to Shepherds Flat, from Daylesford to Mt Franklin, From Creswick to Lyonville, and even as far away as Tylden and Kyneton.
Make the Mining Exchange your first port of call to pick up a copy of the official program, or you prefer you can download a pdf copy at the home page of the BIFB website: http://www.ballaratfoto.org -don’t forget to hit the refresh button!

Photo Review is a proud supporter of BIFB ’09.

BELOW: Eye on the Drought, Noel Butcher, MAP group.