Dartmoor Frame of Mind

Posted on 2nd July 2024

Discover life from a new angle

Date of project: 2024-2025

About Dartmoor Frame of Mind

We can all get so much from engaging with creativity and nature.

In February 2024 RAMM invited young people aged 12 – 18 living in Devon to take part in a photography nature project in partnership with Youth Arts & Health Trust.

The Dartmoor Frame of Mind project offers a free opportunity to learn new digital skills and tips from a professional photographer. Young participants will discover how to take amazing photos on their smartphone or tablet and explore new places in a relaxed and supportive group.

Participants will adventure across Dartmoor and visit RAMM with photographer Jo Bradford, getting creative and discovering new things. All they need is a tablet or a smartphone, no previous photography experience necessary.

Young people learnt some top photography tips with Jo on zoom over a number of weeks in February and March, before meeting in person at the RAMM to practice your newfound skills during the Easter holidays. Their photo-walk adventures on Dartmoor with Jo and the rest of their group are taking place on Saturdays in April and May.

Participants will be invited to display some of their creative endeavours in a special exhibition in the RAMM Café for five months at the end of September to celebrate what they’ve achieved and share their creativity with friends and family.

Their café display will complement another art exhibition at RAMM called ‘Dartmoor: A Radial Landscape’ which will also be on display from October 2024 to March 2025. The selected artists have been inspired to create art on and about Dartmoor using photography, moving image, text and land art. Objects from RAMM’s own collection will form part of the exhibition, and topical themes such as climate change and biodiversity loss will be explored through their art.

The Dartmoor Frame of Mind project is jointly being hosted by RAMM, Youth Arts & Health Trust and Green Island Studios. Funded by Exeter City Council, Arts Council England, Elmgrant Trust and Norman Family Charity Trust.

About the photo-walks & key dates

Participants were divided into one of four groups of up to 12 young people.

The initial introductory online sessions on Zoom took place on one of the following dates: 21, 22, 28 or 29 Feb 2024 between 5.15pm and 6pm.

Further 30 minute online Zoom catch-up sessions and video tutorials were held every Thursday at 6pm throughout March and on 4^th April, led by artist Jo Bradford.

RAMM welcomed the groups into the museum during the Easter holidays on 10^th or 11^th April to practice photography skills, meet Jo and the rest of the group and get to know the RAMM.

The photo-walks on Dartmoor are taking place on a Saturday on 20^th, 27^th April, 4th and 11^th May (one date per group). The young people will travel by train from Exeter to Okehampton with staff from YAHT and RAMM and meet Jo at the station and walk straight up onto the moors.

The photo walk route goes through a high sided broadleaf wooded valley with a stream running through it. The water is rarely more than ankle deep and there are some mini waterfalls in the river – ideal for photographing. It is a small pocket of ancient rainforest, complete with epiphytic ferns and various lichens and mosses. The group will have long range views of the open moor at times if the weather is favourable.

Participants will have the opportunity to look for and shoot bugs, trees, fungi, mosses and lichens and moving water. There are lots of insects to look at in the woods and we may also see wildlife. With luck on our side there is a chance to possibly see stoats, kingfishers and several of the birds of prey such as buzzards, sparrow hawks, peregrine falcons and kestrels. There are some rare breed Herdwick sheep among other varieties and belted Galloway cows and various small breed rare breed ponies on the open moor here too. There will be a picnic in a beautiful spot alongside the stream with tree trunks for benches in a natural woodland glade amphitheatre.

All participants will be invited to a celebration event on 24th September to see their photographs exhibited in the RAMM Cafe and mark the opening of the display to the public. Friends and family welcome!