Photographers deal in things which are continually vanishing and
when they have vanished there is no contrivance on earth which can
make them come back again.
Henri Cartier Bresson, photographer
A hundredth of a second here, a hundredth of a second there - even if you put them end to end, they still only add up to one, two, perhaps three seconds, snatched from eternity.
We’ve all trawled through photo albums throwing up memories of mostly significant events and times – holidays, birthdays, trips out. It’s usually all there – the pleasure, the pain and the odd embarrassing moment. For most of us photography is the strongest tie we have to our past. However, it can be a lot more than a memory trigger. Photography can be art and deliver unique takes on a moment in time. It can be a method of expression or communication, and a powerful advocate. And there are plenty of organisations which can focus their arts programmes for service users.
Folly, Photovoice, Artlink and Action Space are but four that offer different service users the opportunity to practice photography and test out their creative talents.
The north-western based media arts organisation, Folly, works to advocate photographic art among a range of users including those with mental health problems. Taylor Nuttall, director of Folly suggests that “photography offers a direct experience that is easily recognised as being part of everyday life, which features in newspapers, magazines and television”.
Photography began defining reality in the nineteenth century, and despite photographs being open to manipulation by computers, Taylor claims that “photography also directly responds to the reality of the world yet can capture individual moments as a tangible record of an event, emotion, individual or a place.”
People with physical and learning difficulties are able to communicate their own ideas and emotions through photography, giving them a sense of empowerment. Taylor considers photography as “a way of providing an immediate representation of the self that can be manipulated to extend one’s own self-perception or otherwise present something that was not intended to begin with.”
Photography can also provide service users with technical, creative and visual skills, which may increase their job opportunities. According to Fairey: “Students have gone on to get jobs in photo labs as a result of their participation in our projects”. Fairey agrees that the medium can inspire confidence and self-esteem. “One student,” she says, “did a speech about his work in front of a large audience, having hardly opened his mouth in the past. Students have been interviewed on TV about their work, having initially said they did not have the confidence to do it”. Indeed, this is bolstered by the pride taken in mastering the technical aspects of photography and, of course, taking great photos.
Artlink Edinburgh works with people with learning difficulties, mental health problems and physical disabilities. Through urban arts programmes, projects and photography groups, Artlink offers service users opportunities to display and contribute artwork to the wider community and, indeed, nationally and internationally. Alison Stirling, projects director, suggests that service users are rewarded through “developing new skills and interests, meeting new people and pride in achieving a task”. However, she stresses that each reward is relative to the individual and depends on what they want to get out of it.
Stirling says that the public and professionals in photography should not be viewed separately from service users or others who are socially excluded. “For some people within a cross section of the public there is a stronger interest in photography and interest to carry it on as an art form. For those people they go and learn more about it. There should be no differentiation since a, b, c and d are sometimes members of the public and sometimes are professionals.”
Action Space recently held a photography exhibition at the Oxo Gallery, and was complimented for its high standard. This was a major achievement for all involved and inevitably gave contributors more confidence to produce art pieces.
Action Space project coordinator, Naomi Kendall, says that “digital photography has been particularly rewarding as the images are very quickly accessed and can be manipulated on the computer and in the studio. The results our participants achieve with photography are very high quality and this develops their self confidence and self esteem.”
The hands-on role of producing something creative and being part of the creative process gives those involved a very rewarding experience and needs neither the written nor spoken word. For Kendall, “photography, as with other visual art forms, is not reliant on verbal communication and does not require our participants to be able to read or write. It is something they can all really progress in.” For example, Kendall speaks of one service user for whom putting the camera to their eye was very difficult. “However, by the end of the project, this was not a problem.” Photography, as with all art forms, is a learning process and gets better with practice.
Action Space is rightly proud of the inclusiveness of clients’ participation in decision-making, relating specifically to the workshop design of projects, programmes and so on. According to Kendall: “The participants were completely in control of the studio project and took part in all the project planning. They made decisions about the timetable and where and when they were going to be to take photos.” Participation feeds confidence because service users are given the opportunity to feel in control of what they are doing.
Photography can expose service users to a world that builds confidence, self-esteem and independence. It also gives people a sense of identity by encouraging self-expression in a creative way. Those involved with art-based projects, such as Folly, Photovoice, Artlink and Action Space are given the chance to discover, build on or improve technical skills. Therefore, what better way to exercise your creative potential than to snap some shots.
RESOURCES AND CONTACTS
Folly
26 Castle Park, Lancaster, LA1 1YQ
Tel: 01524 388550
Artistic director: Taylor Nuttall
E-mail: info@folly.co.uk
Photovoice
Unit 304, Colourworks, 2 Abbot Street, London, E8 3DP
Director, Tiffany Fairey: tiffany@photovoice.org
Tel: 0207 254 4087
E-mail: info@photovoice.org
Artlink Edinburgh
Projects director: Alison Stirling
Tel: 0131 229 3555
E-mail: info@artlinkedinburgh.co.uk
Action Space
Cockpit Arts, Cockpit Yard, Northington Street, London, WC1N
2NP
Project coordinator: Naomi Kendall
Tel: 020 7209 4289
Fax: 020 7209 0198
Email: office@actionspace.org
