BLOG: ROB ELKINGTON – DIRECTOR, ARTS CONNECT
One of my highlights from the last year was leading the photography project, What We See (as part of the Expanding Creative Spaces for Making project) with artist Tom Hicks and nineteen Y10 graphics students and eleven Y12 photography students from Moseley Park and Heath Park Schools in Wolverhampton. We developed a great partnership with their wonderful art teachers, Mr Parkes and Ms Lester, who were an integral part of the team.
The project was inspired by Tom’s documentary practice under the name of Black Country Type because it offered such an accessible way to bring young people’s views into the public arena about what they see and what they think about where they live. Our approach was to work with students as artists and follow the creative process to create an exhibition of their work in the 01902 Gallery in the city centre.
Over the 16 hours spread across six weeks, we did a LOT – we mapped places of interest in the city; explored the form of documentary photography; took images using phones in localities and also on a city centre photo walk led by Tom. Students then selected and edited images, choosing two for the exhibition and wrote a short commentary on each. The images and interpretation text were printed by Jim Albernethy at the School of Art and then curated and hung in the gallery by our team.
The show featured the distinctive eye of teenagers as they captured the local ordinary world around them, like ‘keep off’ signs or canal walkways or things that seemed different and and remarkable to them. Our students explored the way that photographs can elevate small, overlooked details, bringing attention and value to everyday environments, they shared reflections on the power of looking at the world differently and how that engaged them to be both critical and appreciative of the city:
“It has opened my mind to how the things people pass by normally and every day has some beautiful architecture. I like that people in the public can see things like this because it can inspire others to take photos of things that they find significant”
“It was a good experience to view photos of Wolverhampton that I might have overlooked – the city is beautiful when you look up but when you look down it is very different”
They loved having their work shown in the gallery. It was a major success for us that students were so proud to see their images in an exhibition and the status that was given to their cultural work. We learned after that this was significant because many were not convinced until the opening that they could produce work that was ‘worthy’ of being exhibited. They told us:
“I enjoyed getting my photographs seen by the public. I have enjoyed people in the public asking me questions about my work.”
“I’ve enjoyed today a lot. I really like how my work was professionally made when they put up my work.”
“I enjoyed this as all this is good work here in the gallery and it’s an open space so more people will see it.”
It was an added bonus that Level 5 photography students from the University of Wolverhampton were also staging an exhibition in the gallery which brought extra quality and status to the event and the University students were generous in speaking to the school students about their work and post 16 choices.
We had over 100 visitors to the exhibition over the three days plus the students. Members of the school staff, public, parents and friends from local cultural organisations and artists were very supportive. Members of the public left positive comments about the exhibition, appreciating the perspective and range of voices on the city
“I’m left thinking: ‘young people notice’ young people have something to say’ ‘there is beauty in everything’ WELL DONE.”
“Interesting perspectives on the city nice to see young people’s work displayed in the urban Rooms which is a lovely community space.”
“A fantastic project. Thank you for encouraging and supporting the future generation, to not only share their work but be proud of it. Some amazing art.”
One of the teachers commented that this had been an important project for three boys in particular, who were able to communicate sensitivity and show their emotions via their work, which led to greater confidence and better quality work in subsequent lessons. Teachers told us of ‘wow’ moments – meeting artist Tom Hicks for the first time, working in the School of Art Building and being given the freedom and trust to follow their ideas.
The most unexpected delight was the weather for the photo walks. In a November of solid leaden skies and rain we ventured out on the only two bright sunny days of the month and that is captured in the exhibition. We all agreed the city looks so much better in the sunshine.
