I have always been fascinated by movement and the human form in photography and the visual arts. 

Still photography of movement is not the same as selecting a single frame from a movie. Still capture requires anticipation of a decisive moment, which encapsulates the moments that existed before and will exist after. The leaping dancer is forever captured in mid-air, but had to start from the ground, and must return to the ground.“Nothing ever is; everything is becoming.” 

This exhibition project emerged from a fruitful partnership with TeesDance. In 2024 I documented their community participation dance project, Home, which was almost disrupted by the ugly scenes of racist rioting in Middlesbrough and elsewhere. In response to this, the people of Teesside came together to show that the creative and inclusive community spirit will always prevail. 

I suggested an exhibition that would showcase the talents and skills of professional and community performers from Teesside and the North East, as well as embracing a sense of place. This show is the result.

I wish to extend my thanks to TeesDance and Base Camp Industries for their staunch support and confidence in the project, to ARC for agreeing to host the exhibition, and of course to all of the dancers and performers who collaborated, without whom this work would not be possible. 

The  curated exhibition at ARC is limited in its breadth by the physical exhibition space available to display the prints. This website provides a wider canvas to include additional images that add context and detail to the story that is being told at the ARC exhibition. 

Your comments and feedback regarding move:still are welcomed via the Contact page. You can also use the Contact page to express interest in the purchase of prints, or to enquire about commissions and collaborative photoshoots. 

Supported with Arts Council Lottery Funding. 

Francis Fitzgerald