Magnum & BJP Workshop 2: NGO’s, Social Practice & Advocacy
The day started with all the workshop participants sharing their work for 3 minutes, quickly explaining their background and their expectations of the weekend.
There were a mix of professional photographers wanting to shoot work with more meaning, photographers who regularly work for magazines and those who were looking for a career change – even a charity photo editor took part.
Alexia Singh
After grabbing a couple of coffees in the break I returned for the first talk of Alexia Singh, podcast writer, multimedia producer and photo editor for Save the Children.
Alexia showed a few videos from Save the Children’s campaigns, each with a different approach and aims. Alexia then opened the floor to hear people’s opinions on it’s effectiveness and ethics. The second video shown, “Help Us Save Children Like Maka*” had a mixed response. Someone said the story was good but felt more context is needed, more about why he’s on the ship. One suggested more emotion is needed, “horrific facts but he said them so matter of fact”, another felt the opposite and believed that because he said them so matter of fact, highlighted how Maka* is so used to being in these difficult situations. I liked the simplicity of the advert, nothing too forceful or dramatic, just simply him explaining his situation. Would I donate that instant because of it? Maybe not.
*Not his real name
The next video was the famous Still the Most Shocking Second A Day advert. A few people were confused as to why there wasn’t a donate title or anything highlighting what Save the Children had achieved or a problem they wanted to solve. I thought it was powerful and attention grabbing. The casting of a white girl and family makes it much more relatable to the everyday Western audience, who are often unfamiliar with refugee issues. Essentially the whole point was to communicate to people on an emotional level and make audiences stop and watch. More about spreading awareness and branding than a direct appeal.
I asked Alexia whether traditional charity advertising (e.g. showing people suffering, maybe with some facts and sad music) is still the best way of fundraising. Alexia was very honest in her response and essentially traditional NGO advertising does work best for fundraising. This hasn’t stopped the charity innovating though.
Alexia is the writer and director behind Save the Children’s Anywhere but Home podcast which is an audio drama based on true stories from refugees. She noted how effective podcasts are because you can hold people’s attention for longer, they can listen to a podcast whilst they commute to work, whilst driving or in the gym. Another effective way of telling difficult stories to a wide audience.
Her last point was sharing her A Thousand Word Photos project, which in short,” [..] invites photographers to share a photo(s) with a writer who in turn is asked to create a short story of a thousand words inspired by the image they receive. Selected short stories are then published online here, and read to stroke patients at hospitals across London by actors working with the charity Interact.”. It was encouraging to see such a creative and collaborative “side project” that makes a difference. Collaboration is something I feel a lot of photographers, or maybe it’s just me, need to focus on more to reach new and broader audiences.
Sim Chi Yin
Sim Chi Yin, a recent nominee to Magnum Photos Membership spoke next. Chi Yin started with ten years at the The Straits Times where she both wrote and photographed features, as a one-woman-band foreign correspondent often exploring migrant abuses in Singapore. Once her contract was up she wanted to focus purely on photography and went on to work regular assignments for the New York Times.
There’s too much work to go into details here but definitely check out her work on, The Rat Tribes of Beijing which explores working class Chinese living underground in windowless rooms in Beijing. Also, her work on Nobel Peace prize commission on Nuclear Disarmament, which was apparently too conceptual for editorial publishing…
For me her most powerful, and interesting work was her multimedia “Dying to Breathe”. This focuses on gold miner He Quangui, and his wife Mi Shixiu. He is one of 6 million Chinese workers affected by “Black Lung” disease aka pneumoconiosis. The ten minute slideshow was very engaging, mixing between photographs, audio and film.
How do you humanise such a large problem that effects so many people? It’s a difficult question to answer. Chi Yin’s response is to focus on one powerful story. In this case a story of a couple’s love. A close bond between husband and wife who are slowly being separated by an agonising illness and ultimately death. All because of his previous mining job – we learn that had he known the risks he never would have set foot in a mine.
It is difficult to watch at times but the work is sincere and touching. The painful coughing and oxygen tubes accompanied by the couple singing and small insights into their family life.
Here are a few pointers I picked up from the work:
- Length of time: The work was made over 3 years until his death so Chi Yin had formed a close relationship with the couple and their family, which was obvious in moments of the film. Being able to work with subjects/participants/people for a long period will help them have a greater say in the project – and usually the more time you put in means better work.
- Chatting: A lot of the project was simply chatting with the couple and drinking tea, getting to know them and being a “fellow human being.”.
- Using Various Media: “Photography is one of the forms I’m using”, Chi Yim is open to and comfortable using other media. This helps her to engage different audiences and communicate more effectively. Which media works? What’s it for? Although the work was originally intended to just be photography, over time, Chi Yin realised that film was the only way to communicate what she wanted to say. Although some of her footage was not of a high standard (e.g sniffing noises in the background as she cried behind the camera) and was refused by multiple outlets, National Geographic eventually took on the editing of the material.
- Full Awareness: Make your subjects fully aware of where it’s going or what your plan is. Quangui was very much aware of what was happening and wanted his story to inspire change, “Please use it to help some of the 6 million others”. He even insisted on sending a direct video message to Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The only somewhat concerning, unforeseen situation from the work was the many marriage proposals Mi Shixiu received as the work was being published – even before her husband had died! Chi Yin explained that because she had been seen as such a faithful wife she was considered excellent wife material. Unfortunately her new husband isn’t as welcoming so it’s unlikely Chi Yin will visit Mi Shixiu in person again.
I was inspired by Chi Yim’s dedication to her projects and her genuine passion to create change and alter perceptions with her work. The following day at the portfolio reviews, I managed to quickly show her some of my work. The one phrase she said we should all remember when photographing people (particularly those in difficult circumstances) is to “Do no harm.”. Good advice.
Richard Burton
After lunch Amnesty International’s picture editor Richard Burton spoke. He introduced a few different assignments to give insight into the various types of work Amnesty commission. From portraits by Peter Muller to more regular campaigns for social media by staff photographers.
Amnesty photographers often work with researcher’s or their material to highlight issues of injustice or to promote the work Amnesty do. This can be tricky as their work is often long term and somewhat abstract i.e lawyers appealing a case, speaking with a representative of a government or research etc. Sometimes this means it’s best for researchers to use a camera or to collect images from everyday people , e.g. an imprisoned activists family or friends. This may be the only way to collect images in some cases but this doesn’t guarantee quality or a well communicated message.
One project that stuck out was an assignment Richard himself had photographed earlier in the year, on Madagasar’s pre-trail detention issue. In Madagascar 55% of prisoners are pre-trial, often kept in dire conditions, many of them for petty thefts or similar offences, 52 pre-trial detainees died in 2017 as a result of poor conditions. In one prison Richard said there were 8 (6 total) guards on duty for 739 prisoners!
The work is a mixture of film and stills, including 360 photos in order to give a real sense of the lack of space. Something that surprised me was the ease of access, apparently the Justice department welcomed Amnesty visiting the prisons as they want to show the need for more funding. When they exhibited the work in Madagascar the President of Madagascar visited the show, so real reform is definitely a possibility – I’m not sure if anything has changed since Amnesty visited.
The images and film on their own may not make a difference but alongside the report from Amnesty conditions could improve for those effected. By sensitively documenting a situation in a straightforward and honest manner lives and laws may be changed. I think that’s a real testament to the power of images.
Some pointers I picked up from Richard were:
- Be clear and transparent with who you are photographing, it may not effect (help) them directly but it could make a difference in the big picture.
- Do a HEFAT course.
- Consider sharing your copyright with the organisation you’re working with. Especially if it has found the subjects, done the initial research etc. – in these circumstances it’s often the courteous thing to do.
Anthony Luvera
Last on the bill was Anthony Luvera, a socially engaged artist, writer and educator, who has recently set up the Photography and Collaboration MA at Coventry University. I’ve just started to receive some mentoring from Anthony as I am creating collaborative work with participants in my latest projects (Settling in Stoke-on-Trent and work with Mosaic Clubhouse in Brixton as part of the All Change project.) I spoke with Anthony last week and was challenged by his questions and input. It was a really useful session that helped me to think further about the impact my work was having on the people I collaborate with or photograph, and what I want my work to achieve.
It is clear from the beginning that Anthony is really focused on how his practice impacts his audience and participants, particularly on what they gain from the experience of working with him. He’s worked extensively with LGTBQ+ communities, homeless people, and others who are often seen on the margins of society.
His first participatory work Stories from Gilded Pavements began after an invitation to photograph the homeless at the Crisis at Christmas event that happens every year in London, but Anthony felt uncomfortable and declined. However after becoming a consultant with Kodak he saw an opportunity to use disposable cameras with the homeless so they could take their own images. Whilst volunteering at a soup kitchen Anthony would hand out information on photography workshops he planned to run every Friday afternoon for homeless people. He expected a few people to turn up for the first session, say 5 or 6. Nearly 100 people came and he was completely overwhelmed.
Whilst not entirely sure what the end result would be he began working with homeless people to record their everyday situations (images of boxes they sleep in, a sky on a sunny day, streets they lived in etc.). Alongside the disposable cameras, Anthony decided to use a large format camera to create assisted self portraits with certain people who attended too – with individuals having control on how they would photograph themselves. By the project’s end over 200 homeless and ex-homeless people had taken part.
After working for some time on the project he was offered an exhibition at the Whitechapel gallery but felt uncomfortable. Who was the exhibition for? Who would see the images? He turned it down as he says, “For better or for worse.” A couple of months later the same curator had moved to Transport for London and offered Anthony to exhibit the work over 12 tube stations. Anthony jumped at the chance as it was in a public space and felt it was a more appropriate environment for the work being shown-far more people would see the work too. I’m usually of the mind set that you must take every opportunity given to you and I’m sure many of us would have been tempted by The White Cube gallery. It appears having that discipline and knowing when to say no seems just as, if not more important as saying yes.
Nearly a decade later his work Assembly created for Brighton Photo Fringe, 2014 was exhibited, after being created over the space of a year. Anthony begins by spending time volunteering, often in the kitchen it seems, he says “I love food.”. This time helping out helps him build connections and trust with people. The work contains assisted self portraits, participant’s photographs, recordings of conversations with participants and the first manifestation of Frequently Asked Questions. A collaboration that came about with participant Gerald McLaverty, who has experienced homelessness.
Anthony showed a ten minute slideshow combining participant’s images, his own documentation of the process and recordings. Similar to Sim Chi Yin having a combination of media gives a different sense to the work, conversations with participants played over images of Brighton giving you greater understanding. The conversations don’t sound forced, questions the artists asks like “ What does homelessness look like?” giving the participant space to give their perspective-without forcing them into the most dramatic parts of their story. He also offered participant’s to be media trained if they wanted to speak about their work and their experiences to media.
His Frequently Asked Questions installation went on to be shown at Tate Liverpool earlier this year where over 6,000 people engaged with the work. It explores 50 different councils responses to requests on services relevant to homeless people e.g.”Where can I get a shower?”. Audiences were also encouraged to leave their own responses and questions. This desire to create real change and increase audience awareness is a key part of Anthony’s practice which really resonated with me. During exhibitions he has events, panel discussions, local choirs singing, more outlets to help the audience engage and contribute to the discussion he’s raising.
Anthony also presented his work Residency, made with the homeless people in Belfast. Not Going Shopping made with the LGBTQ+ people in Brighton, (which he re-prints occasionally to keep the writing relevant) and Young People’s Guide to Self-portraiture at the National Portrait Gallery, a resource for self-portraiture.
He is almost as concerned with the process of creation as he is with the final output, leading to thoughtful projects, that are incredibly well organised. All with the aim to, “To shake up preconceptions.”.
To finish here’s a few stand out questions from Anthony’s talk:
- Beautiful images (or objects) to buy, “Who are they serving?”
- “How can you communicate to people you want to influence?”
- “Who is being empowered? How does it help the participants? What does the photographer gain?”
Portfolios Day 2
After having the emergency brake pulled on my train I was late to the reviews on the Sunday morning. Thankfully fellow photographer Peter Boyd was there to keep me company whilst we waited for the emergency services to escort us off the train-line. My reviews were with Anthony Luvera, and Richard Burton.
Both morning and afternoon sessions were group reviews of 10 people, giving us the opportunity to see what the reviewers thought of everyone’s work. It’s difficult to describe the feedback given, as each was custom to the attendee’s portfolio and questions they had.
Anthony’s broad knowledge and memory of photographer’s names was really useful to people. Being able to suggest relevant artists offered new inspiration and highlighted the importance of looking at other photography and artwork when making new work. He also offered practical advice, on creating information sheets on your project, accessible model releases, and having extended conversations with your participants to make sure they fully understand your process, and your indented outcome of your work as much as possible.
Richard’s session was more focussed on the aesthetics and narratives in people’s series of images. We also got to hear Richard and another charity photo commissioner discussing their daily work life and ideas which was a fascinating insight.
Overall
Photographer’s focussing solely on the still image seems to be increasingly uncommon. As attention spans get shorter due to the dopamine rushes of social media scrolling, we must think of new ways to captivate our audiences and hold their attention. Mixing images with audio, film and other media can do this and also help photographers communicate stories more effectively, like Sim Chi Yin’s multimedia piece, Anthony Luvera’s slideshow or an Amnesty article online.
It was an inspiring couple of days that gave a brilliant opportunity to meet others who are working with those who are oppressed or on the margins of our societies, and interested in making a difference. It was refreshing to have discussions about photography focussed around the idea of ethics and representation. There’s a lot to learn and think about-it can be overwhelming. How much suffering is it necessary to show? How much control of the picture should I give to the people I’m photographing? Are you being open about your final outcome and ideas with the people you work with?
There’s a range of methods to approaching socially engaged photography, from photojournalists working quickly with NGOs, to artists who spend years building relationships whilst working on a project. Each has their place and has their own ethical dilemmas. We must all take responsibility and think about how our pictures are effecting the people we photograph, as well as our audiences.
