Introduction
Jonathan Shaw is a British photographer and educator. He uses the camera as an instrument of both scientific record and aesthetic exploration.
Photography
Shaw's commissioned work includes pieces for Volkswagen UK, the Manhattan Loft Corporation, and Nigel Coates' book Guide to Ecstacity published by Laurence King Publishing. His work has been shown at Leeds Met Gallery, Goethe Institute in Dresden, Germany, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, 'Penny School Gallery' as part of the Muybridge Centenary celebrations in Kingston upon Thames, Lanchester Gallery (Coventry), F-Stop Media (Bath) and at the Howard Gardens Gallery as part of the International Festival of Contemporary Time Based Arts, Cardiff.
In 2003 Time|Motion, published by Dewi Lewis, placed Shaw's work alongside that by Eadweard Muybridge and Harold Eugene Edgerton.
In 2011 his work appeared in Maarten Vanvolsem's book The Art of Strip Photography: Making Still Images with a Moving Camera.
He is chair of the board of directors of Birmingham Open Media, and a trustee of The Photographers' Gallery; and sits on the advisory board for Photomediations Machine.
Academia
Shaw was formerly Associate Head of the Media Department within Coventry University's School of Art and Design, where he has worked with Jonathan Worth and Matt Johnston to pioneer free and open undergraduate photography classes #picbod and #phonar. These classes have been accessed by thousands of students all around the globe with podcasts on the Photographic Mediations channel on iTunesU being accessed over 700,000 times. As of 2020, he is director of Coventry University's 'Disruptive Media Learning Lab'.
He was chair of the Association for Photography in Higher Education from 2014-2017. He sits on the editorial board of Media Practice & Education, and was a guest editor of a "special disrupted issue" of the Journal of Media Practice in May 2018. He is the international member of the academic board of the Photography Studies College, Melbourne, Australia, and a visiting professor at Bournemouth University's Centre for Excellence in Media Practice.
Publications
Publications by Shaw
- Crash. The New Art Gallery Walsall (2009)
- Newfotoscapes. A multi-platform open book (2014)
Publications with contributions by Shaw
- Time|Motion. Dewi Lewis (2003)
- re(collect. Pavilion (2006)
Exhibitions
- Leeds Met Gallery commissioned a piece of work by Shaw titled 'If only they had eyes' (2011) as part of 'Junction', a citywide art project.
- 'On The Move' at Estorick Collection (2010).
- 'Crash' at New Art Gallery Walsall UK (2009), Leeds Met Gallery UK, Geothe Institute Germany, Lanchester Gallery UK
- Installation at Frenchgate Centre at Fire, Ice & Light Festival Doncaster, UK (2009)
- '(re)collect' at Leeds Met Gallery UK (2006)
- 'Time|Motion' at Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery UK (2003)
Collections
Shaw's work is held in the following public collections:
- Arts Council of England
- Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
- Birmingham Central Library Photographic Archive
Awards
Shaw is a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society and is a member of the society's 'Multimedia and Narrative Distinction Panel' alongside Andy Golding (University of Westminster) and Daniel Meadows among others. In 2010 the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce) awarded Shaw a fellowship for recognition for his innovation and influential role in developing business and education models in photography.
In 2004 he was nominated for the Paul Hamlyn Award. Newfotoscapes was selected as one of Lens Culture's "Best Photobooks of 2014".