Viewfinders, a group of 13-17 year olds from Photoworks’ Photography Club, were inspired by Brighton Museum’s Gluck: Art & Identity exhibition to create their own work exploring their lives and identities.
The group met with the curator of the exhibition (showed Nov 2018 – March 2018) and worked with the exhibition’s themes of LGBTQ+ representation and identities, concealing and revealing, portraiture and use of metaphor to create their own photography.
Light Shines Through was exhibited at Brighton Museum & Art Gallery from 8 June to 27 August 2018.
“Our photography is a mixture of nature and our environment as well as our portraits, which reflect how we feel about our identities and shows how we feel within our surroundings,” said 14 year old participant, Jacob.
Viewfinders were members of Photoworks’ Photography Club, an initiative enabling 13-17 year olds from Brighton & Hove to meet regularly, develop their camera skills alongside a professional photographer, produce photography and gain an Arts Award qualification.
The group explored local parks and landmarks with their cameras, making strong use of light and shadow and experimenting with composition to create striking portraits within the city’s green and built up areas.
The young people reviewed their photographs; discussing ways of presenting ideas about having a sense of ‘blooming’ identities, self-awareness, respect and acceptance, as well as new perspectives on how we see ‘the other’ and ourselves.
Viewfinders were supported by photographer Lynn Weddle, specialist support worker Reuben Davidson and Royal Pavilion & Museums’ Youth Engagement Team.