BOP 22 is accompanied by a programme of talks across SAT 08 and SUN 09 OCT, which will be held in the RPS auditorium. On this page you can find further information and buy tickets for the talks happening on SUN 09 OCT.

This year the BOP talks have been curated to share new photographic works published in 2022 and to hold conversations on photography, publishing, archiving, and more. See below for a summary of the Sunday talks.

10.30 to 11.15 / ALYS TOMLINSON
Alys Tomlinson will deliver an artist talk on her latest photobook, Gli Isolani (The Islanders), published by GOST, 2022. The photographs in this work - made using analogue film with a large format plate camera - inhabit a hinterland between fiction and reality. Over a period of two years, Tomlinson documented the traditional costumes and masks worn during festivals and celebrations on the islands of the Venetian lagoon, Sicily and Sardinia. Inspired by paganism, fables and folklore, the fantastical tales and precious costumes have been passed down many generations within these communities where customs run deep.

11.30 to 12.30 / BJP AND BLUECOAT PRESS
Colin Wilkinson (Bluecoat Press) and Mick Moore (BJP / 1854 Media) will be in conversation to discuss photography and publishing.

Colin founded Open Eye Gallery in Liverpool in 1977 and subsequently established Bluecoat Press in 1992. Initially concentrating on publishing books of local photographers work and collections in local archives, Bluecoat focused on British social documentary photography. A substantial body of work by important documentary photographers and photojournalists has been published - many using Kickstarter, a crowdfunding platform. In July, Bluecoat was sold to British Journal of Photography/1854 Media. Colin and Mick will talk about their experiences in publishing photography and the issues of funding, production and distribution in a rapidly changing world.

'Bluecoat was sold to the publishers of the British Journal of Photography. It is a perfect match, they have writers, designers and marketing expertise to go along with their 168 years of publishing photography.’ - Colin Wilkinson

13.30 to 14.45 / CHRIS KILLIP PANEL DISCUSSION
Coinciding with the upcoming Chris Killip retrospective published by Thames and Hudson, and the retrospective exhibition opening later this year at The Photographers Gallery in London, this panel discussion will focus on the life and works of Chris Killip.

Against a background of shipbuilding and coal mining, Chris witnessed and photographed the togetherness of communities and the industries that sustained them, and stayed long enough to see their loss. His seminal works include In Flagrante, Isle of Man and Seacoal.

The panel will comprise Matthew Killip and Mary Halpenny-Killip from The Chris Killip Photography Trust, Ken Grant, editor, and essay writer of the book & Niall Sweeney designer of the book. The panel will be chaired by Tracy Marshall-Grant, curator of the exhibition.

15.00 to 15.45 / DAVID O'MARA
Photographer David O’Mara will share an overview of his creative practice, touching upon the underlying concepts and ideas behind his work. Bookmaking has played a central role in David’s photography, which involves documenting his daily life as a painter and decorator on building sites in London; a job he initially undertook to facilitate his wider practice dealing with found imagery.
In recent years David has concentrated on making handmade books, utilising unconventional materials to make one-off and small edition artist’s books. His latest, 'In Situ', made in collaboration with Salt n Pepper press will be launched at BOP 22.

16.00 to 16.45 / JOHNY PITTS
Photographer Johny Pitts will discuss his latest photobook, Home is Not a Place, published by Harper Collins, 2022. This work is a collaboration with writer Roger Robinson, for which they travelled the British Coast in search of an answer to the question - what is Black Britain?

In Home is Not a Place, Johny and Roger set out to document and respond to the many manifestations of Black British culture and to present an alternative to the narratives in the media.