PRESS RELEASE ’Transfiguration' Photo-Project Exhibitions Kickstarter by Ben Hopper; Nov 24 - Dec 26, 2015. Help to produce 3 unique photo-exhibitions showcasing international dancers & circus artists in Paris & London.

Artist Ben Hopper launched his Kickstarter, an online fundraising campaign, on the 24 of November 2015. Through the campaign he hopes to raise a minimum of £4,500 towards the production of 3 photo-exhibitions of his project ‘Transfiguration’.

You can view the campaign on: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/405482066/transfiguration-photo-project-exhibitions-by-ben-h

The exhibitions will take place Paris and London next year: • 2016, January 28-31 (Paris, France) at the prestigious Festival Mondial du Cirque de

Demain (EN: World Festival of the Circus of Tomorrow). • 2016, April 4-24, 2016 (London, UK) at the Roundhouse as part of CircusFest circus

festival. • 2016, March 31-April 13 (London, UK) solo show at theprintspace.

The Kickstarter Campaign 2 days after its launch, Kickstarter selected the project as a Staff Pick. It's was also Featured as the main project in the Photography category for the majority of its duration. With more than 100 backers, 1500+ shares on Facebook, 20,000 video plays and an online reach of nearly a million people the campaign is a success.

The project has reached the minimum goal of £4,500 on the night of Thurs 17th, but with the larger costs and contingency around the production of 3 exhibitions, Ben is hoping to stretch it above the £4,500 mark.

The Kickstarter encourages backers to pledge a donation and in doing so, obtain rewards that have been produced as part of the project as well as specially for this crowdfunding campaign. The rewards vary from £10 to £2,200 and mostly exclusive for this campaign. They include: postcards, limited edition archival prints, signed posters, t-shirts, exclusive exhibition opening invites, limited edition booklets, original one-off prints from the Secret Cinema Star Wars set, One-off prints from the exhibition and more. All of the rewards are available for worldwide shipping.

About Ben Hopper Ben Hopper is a professional photographer, working mainly across performing arts. Since 2007 he has been working closely with local and international individual artists, companies and theatres to produce promotional and personal work. His clients include The Roundhouse, Stockholm University of Dance and Circus (DOCH), The European Federation of Professional Circus Schools (FEDEC), Les 7 doigts de la main (The 7 Fingers), DV8 Physical Theatre and more. Ben’s photography has been featured by a wide range of supporters across the arts sector, such as acclaimed exhibitors 125, critically acclaimed, sold out event producers Secret Cinema and a variety of cultural venues including Jacksons Lane and CIRCa Festival (France). Ben’s photography has also reached a wide online audience through significant international exposure on platforms including The Huffington Post, BuzzFeed, ELLE, The Guardian, The Daily Mail, and GQ. Since 2010 Ben has participated in over 30 exhibitions, and following a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2013, his first major solo show 'Giving Something Back' was attended by 5,000 people. With more than 160,000 followers on Facebook, 30,000 on Twitter and 7,500 on Instagram Ben currently has combined online following of 200,000.

Press Reviews "...more like 3D Jackson Pollock paintings or John Chamberlain sculptures than human beings." - The Huffington Post

"Each photo is charged with kinetic energy, only heightened by the bold streaks of body paint and splatters of white powder. Some of the photographs look like cubist paintings because of the contrast between black, white, and human flesh along with the seemingly impossible angles and feats of flexibility performed by the subjects. The body paint looks almost like strokes of charcoal, creating depth while also the illusion of two-dimensionality.” - Beautiful/Decay

“Hopper challenges art through his photography by engaging bodies, faces and people in general within his settings.” – EverythingWithATwist

Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain Ben was chosen to exhibit his project during the 2016 edition of Demain.

The prestigious Paris contemporary festival is considered to be a major pinnacle event for the circus industry.

Founded in 1977, The Festival is about a passion. They imagined an exceptional event where, for the first time, young circus artists will have the opportunity to present their art to an international jury and curious and enthusiastic audience. The annual event welcomes dozens of acrobats, tightrope walkers, clowns, jugglers and trapeze artists and confront their hopes and energies. Over editions, the emotion, intense, remains intact.

The Festival is a great career catalyst: countless artists have succeeded after taking part in the festival. During a long weekend, Paris becomes the universal capital of the circus arts : it is a festive and dynamic meeting point for the world's best actors and interpreters. How are the artists chosen - The selection is made through spontaneous applications, meetings in the four corners of the world, various festivals and also through attending dozens of shows each year. The 24 laureates are selected out of 1000 people from all over the world. Why is the age limit 25 years old - It is the fundamental basis of our show: in 1977: it was a way to differentiate ourselves from the Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival and to promote young artists.

The Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain is a reference, listed on the agendas of all those who love Circus. Artists, former winners, agents, producers and fans of the circus arts meet under the big top of the Cirque Phenix and share some of the most precious moments of the circus season.

Cirque de Demain hosts 14,000 spectators over the course of its 4 days duration. Find more info on Cirque de Demain website.

theprintspace Ben has been working with theprintspace over the past 4 years. For April next year, Ben was invited to produce a solo exhibition of his project. He will be producing the majority of the prints for his exhibitions and Kickstarter rewards with theprintspace.

theprintspace was launched in 2007 and has quickly grown to become the UK’s leading professional photo and fine art printing service. They offer printing, mounting and framing, both online and in-house in Shoreditch, London. A firm favourite with creative artists and photographers, theprintspace’s award-winning service offers gallery-standard quality at affordable prices, which is why they are consistently chosen by Turner Prize-winning artists and National Portrait Gallery award-winners.

theprintspace expect a minimum of 4,000 people to visit the gallery over the duration of Ben’s exhibition. Find more info on theprintspace website.

The Roundhouse’s CircusFest Ben was chosen by The Roundhouse to exhibit his project during the 2016 edition of CircusFest.

SPECTACULAR CIRCUS UNDER A BRICK BIG TOP CircusFest is the UK’s foremost circus festival taking place over 5 weeks from April 2016, presenting work by the cream of contemporary circus at the undisputed home of UK circus, the legendary Roundhouse. CircusFest will be the pinnacle of indoor circus performance presenting international talent. Alongside the Main Space events is an exciting programme of interactive experiences, quirky cabaret and exhibitions as well as CircusFest’s very own pop-up tent and trapeze for outdoor activities.

The festival features major world premieres, amazing new productions and street performances from the hottest names in circus. From performances that push the human body to its limits to discussions about the cultural significance of circus today.

The Roundhouse expect a minimum of 12,000 people to visit the building over the duration of CircusFest. Find more info on The Roundhouse’s website.

See more of Ben’s work on his website: http://therealbenhopper.com/

Please mention / tag Ben Hopper’s accounts accordingly if possible: https://www.facebook.com/THEREALBenHopper/ https://instagram.com/benhopper https://twitter.com/BenHopper

For more information please email Ben Hopper: therealbenhopper@gmail.com