Linda McCartney RetrospectiveThis week two Crisis members and I visited the Linda McCartney photography exhibition at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool. It was the first time I had delivered a face to face session since lockdown began in March...

Linda McCartney Retrospective

This week two Crisis members and I visited the Linda McCartney photography exhibition at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool. It was the first time I had delivered a face to face session since lockdown began in March 2020.

This major exhibition of Linda McCartney’s photography includes more than 200 images, from the music scene of the 1960s, to family life with Paul.

Prior to lockdown our members were producing work inspired by Linda’s photographs and their experiences of going into lockdown. A selection of their high quality work will be exhibited at the Walker Art Gallery during Linda’s retrospective.

CareCare was devised and produced during lockdown in the UK, which began on 23 March 2020. This free e-photobook explores what ‘care’ looks like, how do we recognise it and how do we value it. It formed part of the Heart of Glass Home Work micro...

Care

Care was devised and produced during lockdown in the UK, which began on 23 March 2020. This free e-photobook explores what ‘care’ looks like, how do we recognise it and how do we value it. It formed part of the Heart of Glass Home Work micro commissions which engaged artists during lockdown.

It includes; selfies of healthcare professionals from around the world, archival imagery from Historic England’s collection of medical images (1938-43) and it documents the NHS health and social care workers who are believed to have died from COVID-19.

The 3rd edition of Care can be downloaded for free from my website:

https://digitintherib.viewbook.com/portfolio-care

Crisis Online Zoom Photography SessionsSince lockdown began in the UK on the 23 March 2020 all face to face sessions with our members have been cancelled. However we have adapted to the restrictions imposed and have introduced weekly online...

Crisis Online Zoom Photography Sessions

Since lockdown began in the UK on the 23 March 2020 all face to face sessions with our members have been cancelled. However we have adapted to the restrictions imposed and have introduced weekly online photography sessions via Zoom. Crisis had the resources to support our members who didn’t have the equipment/data to access these sessions.

Hidden Gems
‘Hidden Gems’ is a photography project commissioned by Community Rail Lancashire & involved working with people who experience homelessness and who engage with Crisis, the national charity for homeless people.
The participants explored...

Hidden Gems

‘Hidden Gems’ is a photography project commissioned by Community Rail Lancashire & involved working with people who experience homelessness and who engage with Crisis, the national charity for homeless people.

The participants explored the hidden gems in Liverpool city centre and a public realm artwork of their chosen photos will be sited at Moorfields train station in Liverpool within the next few months.

Also in celebration of the work Katie Musgrove, Special Needs Education Officer from Community Rail Lancashire has organised an exhibition of the work at Avenue HQ, Mann Island in Liverpool. The poster states the exhibition runs until the 31st March 2020, however it’s been announced that the exhibition has been extended for 12 months. This is brilliant news! It’s great to have the support  from Avenue HQ and they have also stated that the exhibition will be a start of a rolling programme to exhibit the work of Crisis’s members. This is a brilliant opportunity to showcase the high quality and diverse work that our member’s produce.

Crisis
It’s the 8th anniversary of me working as a photography tutor for Crisis, the national charity for homeless people. During this time I’ve delivered hundreds of workshops at 22 homeless shelters in Merseyside and I’ve met so many talented...

Crisis

It’s the 8th anniversary of me working as a photography tutor for Crisis, the national charity for homeless people. During this time I’ve delivered hundreds of workshops at 22 homeless shelters in Merseyside and I’ve met so many talented individuals (an example of work produced shown above).

Crisis work directly with thousands of homeless people every year. We provide vital help so that people can rebuild their lives and are supported out of homelessness for good. We offer one to one support, advice and courses for homeless people in 12 areas across England, Scotland and Wales. How we help someone depends on their individual needs and situation. It could be with finding a home and settling in, getting new skills and finding a job, or help with their health and wellbeing. We use research to find out how best to improve our services, but also to find wider solutions to homelessness. Together with homeless people and Crisis supporters, we campaign for the changes needed to end homelessness for good.

2019 Review (part 4) - It Takes My Mind Off It!
A 1 year (January-December 2019) photography residency commissioned by The Whitechapel Centre: Aigburth Drive Hostel.
The hostel accommodation is for single homeless men aged 40 and above and is a Harm...

2019 Review (part 4) - It Takes My Mind Off It!

A 1 year (January-December 2019) photography residency commissioned by The Whitechapel Centre: Aigburth Drive Hostel.

The hostel accommodation is for single homeless men aged 40 and above and is a Harm Reduction Service for men who need support to manage their alcohol use. The service recognises that some people who use alcohol may not be ready to stop using and become abstinent. Their focus is on reducing the negative consequences of alcohol use rather than on eliminating (although abstinence may remain the ideal goal).

The residency involved weekly photography sessions with residents exploring Merseyside. For everyone who participated it was the first time they had used a digital camera. The participants who engaged in the sessions saw this as a positive intervention in their lives & some saw it as a distraction from the challenges they face on a daily basis.

2019 Review (part 3) - We are Kirkby!
A photography residency (May 2018-Nov 2019) commissioned by the Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool. This socially engaged art project involved collaborating with local residents from the Northwood Golden Year’s Group....

2019 Review (part 3) - We are Kirkby!

A photography residency (May 2018-Nov 2019) commissioned by the Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool. This socially engaged art project involved collaborating with local residents from the Northwood Golden Year’s Group. I’ve been working with local residents since 2016 developing collaborative projects, which explored the past, present and potential future of people and places that make up this local area.

The project explored the on-going regeneration of Kirkby Town Centre including the current hustle and bustle of the town’s market. Whilst the works celebrated the current community who support their local high street, the work also reflected the ever-shifting landscape of Kirkby town centre.

The resulting work where exhibited at Kirkby Gallery & at a pop up gallery space in one of the vacant shops in the town centre.

2019 Review (part 2) - Music for the Brain!
A photography residency (May-August 2019) Commissioned by the Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool. I worked in partnership with the Kirkby Resource Centre for Older People in this socially engaged art project. The...

2019 Review (part 2)  - Music for the Brain!

A photography residency (May-August 2019) Commissioned by the Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool. I worked in partnership with the Kirkby Resource Centre for Older People in this socially engaged art project. The centre engages local residents with dementia.

Music for the brain plays an important role in the centre’s everyday activities. Whilst people were listening to their favourite songs I introduced an extra element were people were given the opportunity to manipulate pieces of salt dough. The resulting mini sculptures were then photographed. Further sessions explored people’s interests which led to a series of portrait shots being produced.

2019 Review (part 1) - Positive Exposures
A photographic art residency commissioned by Liverpool Waves of Hope in which I engaged their service users. I co-ordinated & delivered the seven month residency between September 2018-March 2019.
Liverpool...

2019 Review (part 1) - Positive Exposures

A photographic art residency commissioned by Liverpool Waves of Hope in which I engaged their service users. I co-ordinated & delivered the seven month residency between September 2018-March 2019.

Liverpool Waves of Hope is part of the Big Lottery’s national Fulfilling Lives programme with the primary aim of influencing systems change for adults with multiple & complex needs in at least three of the following areas: homelessness, reoffending, substance misuse & mental health.

The workshops gave the participants the opportunity to learn the basics of digital photography in an informal relaxed environment & for many it was the first time they had used a digital camera. Their photography skills were developed over a series of street photography workshops exploring Liverpool & beyond.

The resulting photographic newspaper & exhibition was co-produced by the participants. Several members of the group now have the photographic skills & confidence to begin their own weekly photography group.

Quiet Room Exhibition
A collaboration between myself & The Salvation Army International Heritage Centre. I was given access to their unique photographic archives, which Ied me to reflect on the interaction between their archives & my project,...

Quiet Room Exhibition

A collaboration between myself & The Salvation Army International Heritage Centre. I was given access to their unique photographic archives, which Ied me to reflect on the interaction between their archives & my project, Homeless. Homeless moved beyond the human presence to explore & examine the spaces & experience of living in homeless hostels in Merseyside during 2014-15. Exhibited as part of LOOK/15, Liverpool’s international photography festival & at the Unseen Photo Festival, Amsterdam in 2015. Project supported using public funding by Arts Council England & The National Lottery.

It was fascinating to discover these homeless hostel interiors from the past, void of human presence however so rich in detail & evocative. The pairings of the archival with my contemporary shots have given these images a new dimension & a re-connection to the past.

The exhibition is held at the William Booth College, London until the 30 June 2018

Kirkby Futures
Residency - Open Eye Gallery
A photography & film project engaging Kirkby residents including the Golden Year’s Group. Weekly workshops began in April 2018 at Northwood Community Centre & we have been exploring the changing built...

Kirkby Futures
Residency - Open Eye Gallery

A photography & film project engaging Kirkby residents including the Golden Year’s Group. Weekly workshops began in April 2018 at Northwood Community Centre & we have been exploring the changing built environment in Kirkby & in particular the town centre which is being re-developed. We are very fortunate to have two photographers involved in the project, Jay Brooks & John Wakefield. Both of these are Kirkby residents & have been documenting Kirkby for over 25 years. The group have been fascinated to get a glimpse into their archives which has unearthed many memories/stories.

Photograph by Emily Bryant

Open Eye Gallery - Culture Shifts: Learning Lab 29 Jan 2018
How Can We Co-author Culture
This was a one day event held at the Atkinson Gallery in Southport which invited a host of guest speakers from across the photography, cultural, health, social...

Open Eye Gallery - Culture Shifts: Learning Lab 29 Jan 2018

How Can We Co-author Culture

This was a one day event held at the Atkinson Gallery in Southport which invited a host of guest speakers from across the photography, cultural, health, social housing, youth service and community sector to come together and discuss some of the most pertinent topics and debates today, and how the visual arts – particularly photography – can play an active role in them.

I presented the Winds of Change Project as part of the ‘From Community Activism to a Civic Role’ segment. This was followed by a chaired discussion with Northwood & Granby residents & fellow Culture Shifts photographers, Darryl Georgiou & Rebekah Tolley.

Photograph by Liz Wewiora

State of the Nation - Tate Liverpool - Tate Exchange - 26 Jan 2018
I was invited by the co-founders of the Museum of Homelessness (MOH), Matt & Jess Turtle to take part in State of the Nation, a week programme of events, installations & talks that...

State of the Nation - Tate Liverpool - Tate Exchange - 26 Jan 2018

I was invited by the co-founders of the Museum of Homelessness (MOH), Matt & Jess Turtle to take part in State of the Nation, a week programme of events, installations & talks that explored the homelessness crisis in the UK. I presented my project, ‘Homelessness’ a photographic project for LOOK/15 (Liverpool’s International Photography Festival) which moved beyond the human presence to explore, examine & document through photography & text, the spaces & experience of living in homeless hostels in Merseyside during 2014-15.

It was also an opportunity to find out more about the work of MOH & Frequently Asked Questions, a project developed in collaboration between artist Anthony Luvera & Gerald Mclaverty.

The afternoon finished with a powerful presentation/performance from Greater Manchester Housing Action. They’re a coalition of individuals, communities, charities and workers unions, who aim to build an alliance that bridges the gap between academics and direct activity, and collectively develop solutions to the housing crisis in Greater Manchester. Look out for their very informative zine.

Photograph by Jessica Fairclough

Winds of Change Brochure
Winds of Change Exhibition Reviews – Kirkby Gallery, Knowsley
By Patrick Kirk-Smith, Art in Liverpool, October 27, 2017:
http://www.artinliverpool.com/review-winds-change-kirkby-gallery/
By Liz Wewiora, Creative Producer, current Culture Shifts...

Winds of Change Exhibition Reviews – Kirkby Gallery, Knowsley

By Patrick Kirk-Smith, Art in Liverpool, October 27, 2017:
http://www.artinliverpool.com/review-winds-change-kirkby-gallery/

By Liz Wewiora, Creative Producer, current Culture Shifts programme led by Open Eye Gallery, September 11,  2017:
http://www.asocialpractice.com/winds-of-change-a-collaborative-project-by-tony-mallon-and-the-women-of-northwoods-golden-years-group/

Photography as a Social Practice website is an archive of research and dialogue around socially engaged photography.