Around the World with Dibbles: a global adventure for Photo Fringe
There’s still time to catch one of Photo Fringe 2026’s most charming offerings. Around the World with Dibbles is open 11:00-16:00 daily until Thursday 15 October, so the next four days are your final window.
Dibbles is a small bear and the mascot of the Gay Men’s Chorus. He set sail on a world cruise with photographer Nick Ford on the MV Aurora. Over the voyage he crossed the equator, the international date line and every time zone, hopping in and out of camera bags along the way. He visited far-flung continents, made friends wherever he went, and may well be the only bear to have travelled through both the Panama and Suez Canals. It’s a gloriously silly premise, and the show’s warmth comes from taking his adventures seriously.
Ford will be a familiar name to many readers. He has worked across LGBTQ communities in the city for many years, and his Oxford Street studio has long been a welcoming base for Brighton’s photographers. His work ranges from the glinting metallic landmarks of Lustrous Brighton to the layered urban details of 3D, and he has often opened his space to other artists through shows like 4×8. Alongside Dibbles’s escapades, a selection of Ford’s own travel images will be on display, so there’s real photographic substance behind the whimsy.
The mascot of one of our most loved city choruses, who ventures across oceans and returns with stories to share fits Photo Fringe’s Feedback Loop theme.
After a heavy year, an exhibition that invites you to smile and look closely is a small gift. It’s the sort of show you can bring a friend, or a curious date to, and the studio has step-free access. A visit slots neatly into a lunch break, and you could pair it with a wander round the festival’s other Brighton venues.
Around the World with Dibbles, Photo Fringe 2026.
Nick Ford Photography, 19 Oxford Street, Brighton BN1 4LA. Open 11:00-16:00 daily until Thursday 15 October. Step-free access. This is a working studio, so if the blinds are down, just knock.
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