The son of a coal miner and a chemist, Garry Hunter studied engineering, not art. Working in photography on assignments worldwide, from Apple in Vegas to the UN in Zinder, he gained major awards in London, LA and New York. Collaboration is key, whether working with residents of the housing estate where he grew up or as visiting artist at Roskilde University, Denmark. He contributed to The Centre For London paper on creative uses of the high street that fed into Mayoral policy and is Arts Advisor to the Institute for Healthy Urban Living at University of Westminster.

From converting a GP surgery into a community pub with an extensive heritage learning programme,  to using a Victorian steamship and its vast supporting pontoon for 19th century photography and immersive events, his work along the Lower Lea with Trinity Buoy Wharf Trust continues to grow.  In his native North East his core practice of opening up neglected spaces for creative engagement with mental health support groups is exemplified by a series of site-responsive projects at the ‘controlled ruin’ of Armstrong’s Banqueting Hall at Jesmond Dene in his home city of Newcastle.