Tripod Competition

Founder
with Alex Parker
2008

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I founded the Tripod Architecture Students' Photography Competition in 2008 with Alex Parker.

The aim of the competition was to foster a greater critical awareness amongst students of architecture and the public. The competition ran for three years and grew in prestige. Importantly it always included a public exhibition component. 

In its first year, the Tripod Architecture Student Photography competition received over 150 entries from students. The four judges for the competition were Prof. Alan Lipman, photographer Roelof van Wyk, Hugh Fraser and fashion photographer Ross Garrett. The winners were announced at the Student Congress in Bloemfontein and the top fifty photographs were then exhibited in Johannesburg and Cape Town in the foyers of the Architect Africa Film Festival.

In 2009, the judges included architects Craig McClenaghan and Alex Opper, and the internationally renowned Dutch architectural photographer, Iwan Baan. Again the winners were announced in September at the Student Congress at the University of Pretoria alongside the mini Architect Africa Film Festival where the top 25 photographs were exhibited. This exhibition was repeated in October at the 50th anniversary of the John Moffat building – the home of the School of Architecture and Planning at the University of the Witwatersrand.

In 2010, the judges included architectural photographer Tristan McLaren; architect and photographer Leon Krige; and architect and previous winner Andrew Bell. The exhibition went up in three cities, Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg alongside the Architect Africa Film Festival. The winners were announced at a dedicated student event held at the Bus Factory in Newtown.