I was invited to attend the private view of Reframing the Region, so I took the opportunity to visit Teesside – a place where I did much of my growing up and where my mother still lives. The work is a collaboration between the Northern School of Art, Hartlepool Borough Council, and local photographer Peter Benson. I met Peter back in April this year and wrote about his Welcome to Teesside exhibition.
A catalyst for the work is the creation of a new “Screen Industries Production Village” in Church Street, where the Northern School of Art (NSA) is based, the aim being to grow the town’s film and TV sector. The project will buy and restore key buildings and create new production spaces and workshops. The government has awarded £16.4 million to support the project, which is expected to create more than 100 new jobs and boost the local economy. Of course a project like this involves a lot of destruction before the construction, making it a fabulous fit with the past work of Peter Benson. His photographs, taken during the 1970s, offer a valuable visual record of the area at a moment in its history.
The new photography work produced by Level 4 Photography students documents the ongoing development of the Church Street Production Village. By placing historical and contemporary images in dialogue, Reframing the Region encourages audiences to consider how places evolve over time, what is preserved, what is lost, and what is transformed. It also demonstrates how photography can serve as both a documentary record and a means of reflecting on social, cultural and economic change.
I enjoyed talking to several of the students about their work. I was very surprised to learn that this was work they’d just completed during the first 6 week long module of their course – and involved learning to use and process 35mm film, as well as creating prints from negatives in the darkroom. Most of the students admitted that this was their first analogue photography experience. I’ve included some examples here.
The project is part of a collaborative partnership between NSA and Hartlepool Borough Council's Development and Growth Team, with students granted access to key redevelopment sites, engaging directly with the changing landscape through photography, research, guided tours, and discussions with council representatives. This has enabled students to explore themes of heritage, identity, preservation, and regeneration while responding to a live regional development project. This exhibition is not a one-off; the students at NSA will be interacting with the redevelopment work over several years.
If you’re in the area, please drop in to take a look – the exhibition is in the Foyer Gallery, buzz the door and ask for access.
Exhibition Dates: 6th - 30th November 2026
Venue: Northern School of Art, Hartlepool Campus, Foyer Gallery (access on request)
1 Church Street, Hartlepool, TS24 7DS
What3Words ///pushes.gifts.tuned
https://www.hartlepool.gov.uk/regeneration
https://rps.org/news/groups/contemporary/2026/april/welcome2teesside/
Images by Alex Turford, Ava McCulloch, Emma Hill, Rubi Paylor and William Sharp.