Hackney Urban Survey #04 - Green Spaces with Freya Najade (25 Apr '24)

£45.00
sold out

Photography workshop and pop-up exhibition

25 Apr – Workshop (full day)
26 Apr – Exhibition Opening and Social (evening)

Hackney Urban Survey is a series of workshops and flash exhibitions exploring Hackney’s rich and diverse urban fabric, aiming at creating an archive of what is Hackney today. After documenting the neighbourhood's industrial and residential typologies and the infrastructures, in this fourth edition our lenses will focus on the green spaces dotted around Hackney.

The workshop is open to 20 photographers, amateurs and professionals. After a full day of talks, photography and collective reviews on Thursday the 25th of April, the work produced will be presented in a flash exhibition the following day.

Guest tutor and Hackney-based photographer Freya Najade will contribute to the workshop presenting her long-term project on the Hackney Marshes.

Student Concession: use code HUS20 at checkout to get £20 off your ticket. Only for students with an active student card for the current academic year.

Photography workshop and pop-up exhibition

25 Apr – Workshop (full day)
26 Apr – Exhibition Opening and Social (evening)

Hackney Urban Survey is a series of workshops and flash exhibitions exploring Hackney’s rich and diverse urban fabric, aiming at creating an archive of what is Hackney today. After documenting the neighbourhood's industrial and residential typologies and the infrastructures, in this fourth edition our lenses will focus on the green spaces dotted around Hackney.

The workshop is open to 20 photographers, amateurs and professionals. After a full day of talks, photography and collective reviews on Thursday the 25th of April, the work produced will be presented in a flash exhibition the following day.

Guest tutor and Hackney-based photographer Freya Najade will contribute to the workshop presenting her long-term project on the Hackney Marshes.

Student Concession: use code HUS20 at checkout to get £20 off your ticket. Only for students with an active student card for the current academic year.

  • The workshop aims to visually explore Hackney’s green spaces, from parks with a rich history such as Clissold Park, to unexpected natural wonders such as the Hackney Marshes. There are only 20 places available for this workshop and it’s open to amateur and professional photographers, on a first come first served basis.

    The photography activity will be followed by a collective review and a selection of images will be printed and presented the day after at a pop-up exhibition open to the public.

  • Freya Najade is a portrait and documentary photographer living between London and Hamburg.

    Freya is especially interested in the commonplace, human stories and urban nature. She finds beauty in moments and places that are often overlooked, and illuminates tensions and contradictions of our complex realities and the world we live in.


    She is the author of three monographs to date: The Hackney Marshes (Hoxton Mini Press, 2022), Jazorina (Kehrer Verlag, 2016) and Along the Hackney Canal (Hoxton Mini Press, 2016).

    In ‘The Hackney Marshes’ Freya takes us on a journey through the uncontainable wildness of the marshes; an explosion of nature in the heart of the city, where ancient trees and grasslands are overlooked by tower blocks and pylons. Following the meadows and riverbanks, abandoned infrastructure and football pitches, Freya documents the magic of these overgrown spaces and the people who seek refuge there.

    • Produce photography work in collaboration with a group of photographers

    • Learn how to edit your work in a documentary series on the built environment

    • Learn about relevant and inspiring work related to the subject of the workshop

    • Share and review your work with Mass’ team and other photographers

    • Participate in the curation of a flash exhibition

    • Get to know like-minded creatives

    • Celebrate your work at a pop-up show at Mass Collective exhibition space in Hackney

  • Thu 25 Apr

    9.30 am: Meet at 215 Mare Street, tea and coffee provided

    9.45 am: Welcome, presentation of the day and of “The Hackney Marshes” project by guest tutor, Freya Najade

    11.00 am: Photography session in the field

    3.00 pm: Archiving, retouching and editing of the photos produced during the shooting session

    5.00 pm: Collective review and sequencing

    6.00 pm: Ends

    Fri 26 Apr

    6.30 - 8.30 pm: Exhibition Opening and Social (snacks and drinks provided)

  • Bring your own photography equipment (camera, tripod, etc.) and your laptop to download, select and retouch the images. If you do not have a laptop or a camera please let us know so we can assist you.

    Technical note: because of the short time available to produce the exhibition it’s mandatory for everyone to shoot with digital cameras.

  • The workshop will be at Mass’ studio in Hackney at 215 Mare Street, London, E8 3QE. Photography will take place around Hackney.

  • In case of light rain the workshop will still take place, though if the weather conditions are forecasted to be unsuitable for any outdoor activity (i.e. heavy rain or storm) we will notify you the day before at the latest to postpone the workshop to a near date. In case you are not available to reschedule you will be eligible for a full refund.

  • The participation fee is not refundable but can be transferred to another attendee. To transfer your participation, please email us at info@mass-collective.com and let us know the new attendee's full name and email address.

    This excludes cases where the workshop is postponed due to adverse weather conditions. See the Weather section above for details.

    The workshop will be confirmed with a minimum of 10 participants, if that number is not reached Mass reserves the right to cancel the workshop and refund the tickets to the subscribers.