When where

Nottingham and New Art Exchange in July 2018

About

We ran a series of eight workshops over 10 weeks which helped participants produce a body of work (up to 20 images) that were compiled into their individual photobooks.  The workshops were:

·       A free weekly peer group for photographers that wished to discuss and further their photographic practice, and their skills.

·       An opportunity for participants to produce work and put together a portfolio of work

·       An opportunity for participants to meet the ‘peer support’ group ‘Scrambles’ and to subsequently become members

Alyn Mulholland

Alyn grew up in a mining village in Nottinghamshire, and trained as a mining engineer, spending his early career working underground in Nottinghamshire coal mines.

With his sculpture and drawings Alyn Mulholland has participated in exhibitions and residencies internationally including Canada, Japan and Macedonia and sited large scale award winning sculptures in Rothley Lodge and Hinckley. His photography practice utilises “found photographs” of the coal mining industry that have been re-worked using drawing, text and collage to deal with issues relating to exclusion and isolation.

Benjamin Elliott

Benjamin was born in 1983 at Hillingdon Hospital, West London. Throughout his life he has always had people judge him because of his cerebral palsy. This has often made him depressed, but it has also given him the strength to pursue pastimes like photography and creating things in his workshop from reclaimed and upcycled products. By utilising his ability to shake he is developing a series of pictures following the same theme, allowing viewers to see the world through his eyes. He is an advocate of no matter what your disability you should be given a chance to overcome it.

CSS

CSS was introduced to art and photography from a very tender age by her mother, and like her mother she also entered the teaching profession at a pre-primary school. After she got married she became a victim of an abuse and coercive control. The relationship affected her both mentally and physically. Recently, she uses a camera to capture happy moments, and as a tool to aid her healing. She hopes to use photography to raise awareness amongst those that can’t read English. 

Eileen Stewart

Eileen was born in Nottingham, and is married with a son and daughter. She has many health conditions, meningitis, epilepsy, fibromyalgia, eczema and vitamin D deficiency and has also had brain surgery. As a result, she suffers with depression. Photography and sewing have got her out of the house and given her a focus, something just for her. Her photography and sewing mean a lot to her. She loves being behind the camera, finding new skills, and being part of something wonderful

John Wheat

John spent his formative years in Radcliffe-on-Trent moving to the city in his twenties where he has lived for the last fifteen years. He became interested in filmmaking and photography, gained a BTEC in Film & TV Production at Confetti Studios, and made a number of films. 

He continues with his other passion of photography and has exhibited work locally. His has a particular interest in landscape, wildlife and portraiture. John has Aspergers Syndrome and consequently struggles daily to navigate a neuro-typical world. On the positive side photography allows him to express an insight into his world.

Lisa Stead

Lisa attended a local school in Gedling, and then trained as a chef. She worked various restaurants across the city. She left the catering industry to retrain in computer and subsequently in various charities. In 2008 she was diagnosed with three health problems, PTSD, general anxiety and clinical depression. This has affected her ability to work full time. In 2015, after participating in a ‘Nature in Mind’ group, she took up photography and now four cameras later regularly takes photographs around Nottingham. She likes taking photographs which make her smile, or give her an air of mystery

Rita Kaur

Rita Kaur, a British Indian, was born in Nottingham in the mid 1960s.  Her early experiences as the daughter of a landlord brought her face to face with people living in poverty and poor social housing. This embedded a seed in her social consciousness, and even at school she 

became a member of Amnesty international, and later, she became a social worker. More recently, her passion for photography has helped her during challenging periods in her life. Her work in this exhibition centres around the theme of mental health, and explores the question that has driven her to come face to face with her inner self, and the question. ’’Who am I really?’’

Stephanie Shaw

Stephanie was born in Loughborough in 1973 and moved with her family to Arnold Nottingham in the late 1970's. She has worked in various roles including with the Disabilities Living Centre, Remploy Interwork, and more recently Animal Nursing Assistant for the PDSA Petaid Hospital Nottingham. Stephanie has had experience of mental health difficulties since her teenage years and in October 2018, finally entered treatment for symptoms of borderline personality disorder. Stephanie is drawn towards photography involving social history and the mystery of peoples lives. Her recent work captures, not a feeling as such, more a loss of feeling and a sense of isolation which are far reaching.

Stuart Thomas

Stuart was born in Luton, in a mining family. At 16 he joined the British Army, and was posted to Northern Ireland. The high stress and constant state of alertness had a toll on his mind. When he left the Army, he struggled with civilian life, and was always searching for threats and danger. He has chosen to take up photography to help him ease back into normal society. Photography has helped him to learnt that ‘life can be bleak, but also beautiful’.