The Power of Collaboration in Print Storytelling

In the wings of a ballet stage, the applause fades. The curtain falls, the lights dim, and the audience leaves with memories of perfection. But just steps away, another story begins—one of breathlessness, sweat, and raw emotion as dancers emerge from the performance.

It was this fleeting, often unseen moment that photographer and Canon Ambassador Clive Booth set out to capture in The Silence After Applause, a powerful exhibition unveiled at EXPO 2025 in Osaka. Working with Birmingham Royal Ballet, Canon and Hahnemühle, Booth transformed these hidden stories into large-format prints that not only revealed the human side of performance but also raised awareness of dancer well-being.

The project aimed to raise awareness of Relative Energy Deficiency in Dance (RED-D), a condition that occurs when the body doesn’t have the energy required for elite-level performance. BRB’s pioneering research into RED-D is helping protect the long-term well-being of its dancers.

But what made the story truly resonate was the collaboration behind it. BRB brought the vision and the research context, Booth translated it into striking photography, Canon’s imagePROGRAF PRO series printers ensured every detail and texture came to life, and Hahnemühle contributed its sustainable Bamboo Gloss Baryta paper. Together, the partners transformed an unseen challenge into a powerful and accessible visual story.

For Booth, print was always the destination. Working in near-darkness, he prepared each file with the final output in mind—using a colour-managed workflow, soft proofing, and test prints to refine every detail. The resulting works, reaching up to 1.6 metres, balanced technical precision with emotional depth. Some pieces were also produced as elevated prints, making the story accessible to visually impaired visitors at EXPO.

For BRB, it was a new way of communicating. “As a ballet company, we’re a visual art form—live performance and video. Print has allowed us to tell a much more holistic story of who we are as people,” said Tom Rogers, Creative Content Producer at BRB.

Tactile, emotive and enduring, print gave shape to a hidden narrative. And through collaboration, The Silence After Applause showed how art, science and technology can combine to connect audiences to the human stories behind the spotlight. Elevated and lenticular prints, produced on Canon’s Arizona flatbed printers, added new dimensions to the work—enabling the story to be both seen and felt, and bringing it closer to every visitor.

As Mathew Faulkner, Director of Marketing & Innovation at Canon EMEA, explains: “This project demonstrates how large-format print can turn photography into a compelling medium for storytelling, making a complicated medical issue approachable and engaging.”