Subject
“We Do Not Inherit the Earth from Our Ancestors; We Borrow It from Our Children.” - Native American Proverb.
These images are from my project entitled Finite. It looks at the human impact on the environment and the world we are creating. In response to the climate crisis I wanted to produce work that highlighted the impact of our 21st-century society. I visited Iceland to photograph the disappearing landscape and the glacier tongues of vatnajökull. Some of which will be completely gone in my lifetime. I wanted to document the beautiful and fragile glacier to keep a record of what once was, as well as show people the irreversible damage that is being done. Another impact to the earth is again our use of crude oil which takes its form as plastic. Polluting our oceans and suffocating marine life. I photographed plastic bags to create these deep-sea creatures to give a glimpse into the perhaps not so distant future where our pollution has now integrated into a living organism. I juxtaposed images of a world that is cracking and crumbling with a vision of what we are leaving for future generations.
Subject
For my practice as a photographer, I have been appropriating my old family photographs through manipulation and digital editing. I have been researching into my ancestry/genealogy as culture and identity are huge factors that contribute to my practice. The image I have chosen to submit is of my grand-uncle with his parents, I have also been experimenting with the idea that the back of a photograph holds value and an untold history, I've been layering and merging these images to tell a story of a past time so personal and important to myself. My great-grandparents were a part of the Windrush generation and I find great pride in them as individuals, the lives they lead are the stories of tomorrow.
Subject
This is an image from Bellwether Town, a project I worked on about my hometown of Basildon in Essex and the kind of lifestyle my friends and I lived on the estate we grew up on. The work talks about stigma, identity, and its relationship with space and is very personal to me.
Subject
Taken at Rufford Abbey on the grounds of the site! I thought this little guy was so striking with the bright orange with the black contrast! Crazy how something so small can be created which so beautiful.
Subject
The image is part of an ongoing body of work exploring my Grandfathers relationship to his childhood home and the prospect of selling it after 70 years.
In the image he is reading the post that has accumulated on the doorstep of the home after a period of it being empty. Most of the post is addressed to his late mother.
Subject
We have mountains of historical and familial ephemera in the house which my Dad regularly goes through or leaves lying around for shadows to fall across. I love the flattening, condensing effect photographing can have on a subject and, here, the light helps frame and form this composite scenes.
Subject
Everyone has a story. And disability is not inability. With the right people by your side, everything is possible.
The picture is of a grandmother and her granddaughter. Helping the grandmother to fetch firewood.
Subject
This my friend Miles, He broke his back in a motorcycle accident when he was 16, He has since re-learned to walk and got a new motorcycle. Then later this year we started to learn skateboarding together!
This project was shot at an abandoned zoo that has been closed for some years now, This 'zoo' or rather Flamingo Park is located on the east side of the Isle of Wight and was a huge deal for tourists and locals. The park Hosted Penguins, Meerkats, alpacas and many more including obviously... Flamingos!
We decided to have an adventure down memory lane and see if we could find any interesting objects to photograph/document. This is the resulting shoot! The location is a cleared out an old water bowl/tank (We think it housed Otters) it was covered in old brick, litter and wood. Once cleared we spent an hour or so skating, took some photos and then left.
Subject
The London borough of Waltham Forest has become home to a sizeable Pakistani community over the last 75 years. With such a sizeable epoch harbouring the growth of a specific community, many stories of struggle, readjustment and triumph have been whispered between the lips of those who pride themselves as community members. These stories have been audible at the volume merely a whisper for an overwhelming portion of the period which contains their utterance…until now. The community within the borough is ever prospering and I take great pride in seeing how well my community has integrated with the principles of Britishness whilst managing to preserve their roots from erosion. More specifically, the Pakistani women from this borough, like myself, are thriving better than ever before in our history and my portrayal of them shines a light on the self-confidence of the intelligent, courageous and beautiful individuals whose positivity will continue to enhance the development of their community for years to come.
Photographed: Nosheen
Subject
This image I took with my camera at home right before travelling to Rome in 2018.
The cross is mine and the blurry picture baby me but the red Pompeii and underneath Naples postcard were my grandad's that he got from travelling with the navy and gave to me because I have a real passion for history (particularly English and Italian). I loved Rome and the city was beautiful but I really hope to go to Pompeii and Florence as my next stops!
Subject
These images are part of a wider project, entitled "Home". In it, I explore what the concept of family, community, and indeed heritage means to those in the LGBTQ+ Community. I've grown up only seeing myself and my fellow LGBT siblings portrayed only in upsetting and pessimistic imagery; black and white scenes of young people crying at the mirror, or stories of tragedy and hardships in the media. Whilst this is certainly an aspect of our reality, I am frustrated that our community isn't also shown for the vibrant, loving, accepting and supportive environment that it is. Many of us have found a real sense of family within this community, and prove that the idea of heritage and familial history isn't only defined by our blood relations, but also those who share a bond that goes beyond genetics.
In short, the mission of Home is not to make a statement about the tragedies of queer lives, present as they may be. Instead, it seeks to portray individuals grounded in their reality – that is to say, one of friendship, of solidarity, of community and of hope. Most importantly, I hope to celebrate this beautiful community's family and heritage.
Subject
I love photographing my staffy, her brindle fur and greying face add texture to the image and her eyes and big ears add personality. I took this image during the Photoworks workshop and I am proud of the result despite her not wanting to sit still!
Subject
This image is part of “The Trevor Berry Archive”. I’m a photographer and the curator of the archive project featuring transparent slide mount images. Trevor Berry is the grandfather of my two half-sisters, he passed away before my birth; however his wife performed a role in my upbringing. Through collaboration and dialogue, I used oral history with Joyce Berry to unearth the legacies of their family life and the context behind the images.
Subject
I have chosen the theme of 'play'. This piece is based on our generation now, with their obsessive nature with technology and how sometimes they know more than the adults! I wanted to portray this theme through an outsider's perspective, looking at a child being engrossed in the life of social media.
Subject
This is a photograph of my father that is White and my grandmother that is Black. My brother is the bridge that connects both family members together. Even though they're sitting next to each other there is still separation and my brother is what holds them together as one.
Subject
Hide and Seek - Haunted version.
The catcher have to hide under the cloth while counting down, and walk around with it in the dark when the time is up.
It is one of my favourite childhood game as it is very thrilling for both the catcher and the hiders.
Subject
‘It must be somewhere here’ is a year-long survey of the Northern deep coal-mining landscape. As the granddaughter of two miners, it acts as both a geographical study and inquiry into ancestry. A departure to colour depicts former colliery sites which have been visually affected by the chemical aftermath of deep coal-mining. Unnaturally high levels of manganese in still-draining mine-water stains rocks orange, and the erosion of cliff formations reveals materials from a colliery landfill. I record various places of memorial and colliery remains. Through ‘slow’ large format photography, and the photopolymer gravure, I create works in which time cannot be specified, where the process is elongated as much as possible, commenting on manual labour, materiality and the ritual of returning home to walk in the empty industrial lands where man once laid his hand.
Subject
My family does not have many heirlooms, however we do grapple with a legacy of secrets and generational histories that are passed down, often remaining unspoken and unnamed. This image, for me, represents a questioning of the heirlooms that my family holds, and those that have been discarded. The image is of a bunch of fresh flowers which were discarded in a graveyard I visited, and it speaks to ideas of loss, of rejection, and most crucially for me, it is filled with so many unanswerable questions. Flowers are nostalgic, symbolic and often a placeholder for remembrance and memorialisation. I enjoy the blurriness of the image, where the flowers are behind a layer of plastic that changes their colour and the petals become indistinct shapes that could be anything.
Subject
This year has been rather stressful, but when I look at this portrait of my Nani, a sense of calmness takes over me and I'm reminded of how lucky I am to have a healthy family throughout this pandemic.
Subject
This is an image of a peacock made out of leaves and flowers laid out on the floor (called a pookalam) in order to celebrate a South Indian festival called Onam. We usually use flower petals but this year we went around our neighborhood and collected a few leaves and flowers to make a colorful flower mat to signify the return of Mahabali and the prosperity of the harvest season. This ancient legend has been celebrated from generation to generation of the people of Kerala from all over the world.
Subject
The purpose and use of the megalithic sites we see remains of today have always been a mystery to us and look like they always will. This image is from a series titled 'Sacred Places', that celebrates the different interpretations for their creation that have evolved over time through folklore, allegory, myth and legend, in an attempt to explain their presence within the landscape.
This photo depicts Lanyon Quoit near Madron in Cornwall. Legend has it that megalithic dolmens in Cornwall were created by Cornish giants, who threw the stones into position whilst playing a game of quoits. It is said that King Arthur ate a meal before his last battle, the Battle of Camlann, on top of these stones and that the bones of a giant were found inside the tomb.
Subject
This piece is called " Tower of Books". I explored the idea of sequencing and collaging through photography to tell a story. This piece shows a 10 grided photography of books stacked on top of each other, until the very end where it falls. I wanted to showcase what a person might do when they are bored and have a lot of freedom, especially during the COVID-19 lockdown, and that is why I entered this piece under the theme "play".
Subject
‘It must be somewhere here’ is a year-long survey of the Northern deep coal-mining landscape. As the granddaughter of two miners, it acts as both a geographical study and inquiry into ancestry. A departure to colour depicts former colliery sites which have been visually affected by the chemical aftermath of deep coal-mining. Unnaturally high levels of manganese in still-draining mine-water stains rocks orange, and the erosion of cliff formations reveals materials from a colliery landfill. I record various places of memorial and colliery remains. Through ‘slow’ large format photography, and the photopolymer gravure, I create works in which time cannot be specified, where the process is elongated as much as possible, commenting on manual labour, materiality and the ritual of returning home to walk in the empty industrial lands where man once laid his hand.
Subject
I want to explore the untold stories and heritage of Africans, to see that it's not only about slavery but the rich culture we have as a continent.
Subject
These images are part of a wider project, entitled "Home". In it, I explore what the concept of family, community, and indeed heritage means to those in the LGBTQ+ Community. I've grown up only seeing myself and my fellow LGBT siblings portrayed only in upsetting and pessimistic imagery; black and white scenes of young people crying at the mirror, or stories of tragedy and hardships in the media. Whilst this is certainly an aspect of our reality, I am frustrated that our community isn't also shown for the vibrant, loving, accepting and supportive environment that it is. Many of us have found a real sense of family within this community, and prove that the idea of heritage and familial history isn't only defined by our blood relations, but also those who share a bond that goes beyond genetics.
In short, the mission of Home is not to make a statement about the tragedies of queer lives, present as they may be. Instead, it seeks to portray individuals grounded in their reality – that is to say, one of friendship, of solidarity, of community and of hope. Most importantly, I hope to celebrate this beautiful community's family and heritage.
Subject
The purpose and use of the megalithic sites we see remains of today have always been a mystery to us and look like they always will. This series titled 'Sacred Places' celebrates the different interpretations for their creation that have evolved over time through folklore, allegory, myth and legend in an attempt to understand their presence within the landscape.
This photo shows the Merry Maidens stone circle near Penzance in Cornwall. This circle is said to be all that is left of a group of local girls who were caught dancing on the Sabbath and petrified as punishment. The two musicians who played for them heard a nearby church clock striking midnight and began to run away but were also turned to stone. They now form the two standing stones found nearby, referred to as The Pipers. The 19 stones of the circle are thought to mirror the cycle of the moon due to them gradually diminishing in size from southwest to northeast.
Subject
Growing up in a Buddhist household, I am surrounded by many religious talisman, amulets, statue and paintings. One of my favourite embroidered pieces is the Yellow Jambhala. As he feels like a father figure to me, giving our family protection, constantly being there for us day and night.
Subject
A young working-class girl in hunting uniform.
Easily dismissed as a pursuit for the rich and out-of-touch, hunting in the countryside is for all. Many people take advantage of the hunt resources, networking opportunities, and community. Discounts are offered for allowing the hunt across your land, as well as invites to parties, meetings, get-togethers and dances.
At a time where farmers have the highest rate of suicide, and with a net loss of rural teens choosing to leave the countryside, how is heritage being reworked in order to benefit and engage a wider range of residents?
Subject
I like this image because the mirror frames me and my dog yet her face is visible in the foreground which adds depth. I took this image during the Photoworks workshop and I am proud of the result!
Subject
Before the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, we would communicate through face-to-face interaction, expressions, learning, working e.t.c. There was also the use of social media, but not very often, for most people.
During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, we couldn't communicate face-to-face as we were locked in, we couldn't use expressions, as we were wearing masks, we couldn't interact as we had to stay 2 meters away from each other. Social media and online meetings started taking up a bigger part of our lives. Yet, these relationships were not what they had been before.
After the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, how will we communicate? Will masks stay forever? What about social distancing? We are unsure of the future, we are even confused about what has just happened. Has it even finished yet? How will our relationships resume with one another? How will they form and develop in this ever-changing and modernising world? Will we ever pause to look back at the past? Will we only ever think about developing, economically and technologically? What about those unplanned lunches with acquaintances met by chance or shared coffees with a homeless chap - will those things become history?
I have put these ideas together in a simple but striking image.
Subject
This photo is called 'Plus Ultra', an inversion of the usual phrase which has been used on the Spanish flag for hundreds of years. This phrase is located just under the stable columns on the flag. However, the column in this photo seems to have been decapitated. I am British, but with Spanish roots. When I think about what connects the two countries that I am from, I always think about imperial histories, and how both Spain and England have possibly the most extensive histories of empire in the whole of Europe. Another common point that brings these two countries together is that they both are struggling to acknowledge the legacy of these histories and how they inform their future. Instead of 'Non Plus Ultra'–meaning that there is nothing beyond–I want to suggest through this photo that there has always been and will always be something beyond. But to move beyond, European countries need to examine all aspects of their heritage.
Subject
I love photographing my staffy, her brindle fur and greying face add texture to the image and even though she's a dog she still has a clear expression on her face. I took this image during the Photoworks workshop and I am proud of the result despite her not wanting to sit still!
Subject
This is an image from Bellwether Town, a project I worked on about my hometown of Basildon in Essex and the kind of lifestyle my friends and I lived on the estate we grew up on. The work talks about stigma, identity, and its relationship with space and is very personal to me.
Subject
These images are part of a wider project, entitled "Home". In it, I explore what the concept of family, community, and indeed heritage means to those in the LGBTQ+ Community. I've grown up only seeing myself and my fellow LGBT siblings portrayed only in upsetting and pessimistic imagery; black and white scenes of young people crying at the mirror, or stories of tragedy and hardships in the media. Whilst this is certainly an aspect of our reality, I am frustrated that our community isn't also shown for the vibrant, loving, accepting and supportive environment that it is. Many of us have found a real sense of family within this community, and prove that the idea of heritage and familial history isn't only defined by our blood relations, but also those who share a bond that goes beyond genetics.
In short, the mission of Home is not to make a statement about the tragedies of queer lives, present as they may be. Instead, it seeks to portray individuals grounded in their reality – that is to say, one of friendship, of solidarity, of community and of hope. Most importantly, I hope to celebrate this beautiful community's family and heritage.
Subject
I took this during the first Photoworks workshop on heirlooms; this image includes objects that are important to my identity and that I think would make significant heirlooms to future generations. There is also a hint at my black lives matter poster in the reflection on the guitar which is another thing that needs to not be forgotten about.
Subject
The purpose and use of the megalithic sites we see remains of today have always been a mystery to us and look like they always will. This series titled 'Sacred Places' celebrates the different interpretations for their creation that have evolved over time through folklore, allegory, myth and legend in an attempt to understand their presence within the landscape.
This photo shows Mên-an-Tol near Penzance in Cornwall. Its name means 'the stone of the hole' in Cornish and the site was once a larger stone circle made up of 18-20 stones, but now this is all that remains. Holed stones have long been used in fertility rituals and it is said that if a woman passes through the stone 7 times backwards under the light of a full moon, she will soon become pregnant. The site is also said to be home to a guardian piskie capable of curing ailments such as rickets in children if they are passed through the stone 9 times naked.
Subject
This image is from the series, “Women from the Pakistani Diaspora”. It is a self-portrait composed in Birmingham that explores my mothers identity as an 18-year-old woman of Pakistani origin who emigrated to the United Kingdom. I have depicted these images by showcasing outfits that were worn by my mother over 35 years ago and by visiting the places that were significant to my mother’s life as a young migrant woman in Britain.
The women from the Pakistani diaspora who relocated to the UK were very often the hardworking wives, daughters, mothers and grandmothers of individuals who had migrated from cities, towns and small villages in Pakistan. These individuals came to the UK to work in key industrial sectors and set up businesses that contributed towards the healthy economy of their new-found nation. Pakistani women provided a crucial envelopment of familiarity and comfort that gave their husbands, fathers, children and grandchildren a sense of their place of origin – making it a home away from home. My self-portrait collection seeks to recognise the existence and achievements of such Pakistani women and their role as the backbone of a community that transformed inner-city Britain.
Today, British Pakistani women continue to revolutionise gender roles for other women through the determination, emotional support and encouragement of their female peer network.
Subject
This image comes from a larger body of work that explores my family's Jewish heritage. The necklace in the photograph belonged to my Great Grandmother (Elly). On the chain, there are two pendants and one ring. The heart pendant is from her parent's wedding. At the end of a Jewish wedding, it is tradition to break a glass or piece of china, to represent the fragility of life and the destruction of the temples. The china in the centre of the heart is from their breaking of the glass, on the return side has their wedding date and names. The circular pendant was a gift for her Bat Mitzvah, on the reverse it says "03.XII.1924 von Deinen Eltern" which translates to 03.XII.1924 from your elders/parents. This became the title of the work. The ring is from her second marriage (once she had arrived in the UK) to the 'presumed' father of my grandfather-- another discovery which led to more questions! The choice to photograph the necklace on a hand mannequin comes from a story Elly told my grandmother about a close encounter she had with the Gestapo before she fled Vienna leaving her parents behind, never to see them again.
Subject
Grandad’s (broken) pocket watch.
Time, on many occasions has triggered episodes of depression in my life; worrying about the uncertain future, dwelling on the distant past and therefore not existing in the present.
I hadn’t realised that it was a year ago today since my grandfather passed away. His death came at a time when I was beginning to reconnect with my paternal family, which meant it was much more difficult to deal with and process.
These photographs are part of a wider, ongoing series: Sometimes A Silence Will Cut Through Sounds, which responds to grief and a family history of mental health problems.
Subject
This piece is titled "Hate is a Virus". This piece is inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic, and especially by the racism/xenophobia that East-Asian people received because of the virus.
I wanted to showcase how hatred against any oppressed group, such as the LGBTQ+ community, the Black community, and the disabled community, is just like a virus.
It's dangerous, harmful and can even kill people. Hatred just like a virus it spreads easily within our society, and it is our job to stop spreading the virus and stop misinformation, such as stigmas.
Being Asian is part of my identity and heritage, and so I wanted to show that each of these oppressed groups all has their own Untold Heritage and story to tell.
Subject
I love this black and white edit as it highlights her greying face and lively eyes. I also think the use of a light coloured blanket as the backdrop works well as it doesn't distract from the subject. I took this image during the Photoworks workshop and I am proud of the result!
Subject
“We Do Not Inherit the Earth from Our Ancestors; We Borrow It from Our Children.” - Native American Proverb.
These images are from my project entitled Finite. It looks at the human impact on the environment and the world we are creating. In response to the climate crisis I wanted to produce work that highlighted the impact of our 21st-century society. I visited Iceland to photograph the disappearing landscape and the glacier tongues of vatnajökull. Some of which will be completely gone in my lifetime. I wanted to document the beautiful and fragile glacier to keep a record of what once was, as well as show people the irreversible damage that is being done. Another impact to the earth is again our use of crude oil which takes its form as plastic. Polluting our oceans and suffocating marine life. I photographed plastic bags to create these deep-sea creatures to give a glimpse into the perhaps not so distant future where our pollution has now integrated into a living organism. I juxtaposed images of a world that is cracking and crumbling with a vision of what we are leaving for future generations.
Subject
This project is a photographic series called "White". In this image we can see a girl with white skin, white dress and white hair with a white horse. The photos have a kitsch quality to them
Subject
This image links to play as books are a frequent source of entertainment for me. It also links to heritage because these are all LGBTQ+ books, that I have arranged as a rainbow, and they have been important to me and my identity.
Subject
I took this of my dog buster playing with his favourite ball! The mirror I actually bought from an antique store in Bolsover when visiting the castle.
Subject
This is an image from Bellwether Town, a project I worked on about my hometown of Basildon in Essex and the kind of lifestyle my friends and I lived on the estate we grew up on. The work talks about stigma, identity, and its relationship with space and is very personal to me.
Subject
This image links to play as books are a frequent source of entertainment for me. It also links to heritage because these are all LGBTQ+ books, that I have arranged in a rainbow, and they have been important to me and my identity.
Subject
This image is from the series, “Women from the Pakistani Diaspora”. It is a self-portrait composed in Birmingham that explores my mothers identity as an 18-year-old woman of Pakistani origin who emigrated to the United Kingdom. I have depicted these images by showcasing outfits that were worn by my mother over 35 years ago and by visiting the places that were significant to my mother’s life as a young migrant woman in Britain.
The women from the Pakistani diaspora who relocated to the UK were very often the hardworking wives, daughters, mothers and grandmothers of individuals who had migrated from cities, towns and small villages in Pakistan. These individuals came to the UK to work in key industrial sectors and set up businesses that contributed towards the healthy economy of their new-found nation. Pakistani women provided a crucial envelopment of familiarity and comfort that gave their husbands, fathers, children and grandchildren a sense of their place of origin – making it a home away from home. My self-portrait collection seeks to recognise the existence and achievements of such Pakistani women and their role as the backbone of a community that transformed inner-city Britain.
Today, British Pakistani women continue to revolutionise gender roles for other women through the determination, emotional support and encouragement of their female peer network.
Subject
The main connection to his heritage my Granddad shared with me was the food of his home country of Guyana. He was poor at sharing recipes, cooking too quickly and just getting on with it or sneaking in secret ingredients. A few years after he died, my mum and I both really specifically fancied something in the style of "jungle food", as he called it, which involves fried plantain, dumplings, coconut-y sauce and often fresh fish. This image shows my mum's hands, which I share, as she peels the tough skin of the plantain, I love all the softened points and tips and the proximity we feel looking at it.
Subject
Grandad’s (broken) pocket watch.
Time, on many occasions has triggered episodes of depression in my life; worrying about the uncertain future, dwelling on the distant past and therefore not existing in the present.
I hadn’t realised that it was a year ago today since my grandfather passed away. His death came at a time when I was beginning to reconnect with my paternal family, which meant it was much more difficult to deal with and process.
These photographs are part of a wider, ongoing series: Sometimes A Silence Will Cut Through Sounds, which responds to grief and a family history of mental health problems.
Subject
‘It must be somewhere here’ is a year-long survey of the Northern deep coal-mining landscape. As the granddaughter of two miners, it acts as both a geographical study and inquiry into ancestry. A departure to colour depicts former colliery sites which have been visually affected by the chemical aftermath of deep coal-mining. Unnaturally high levels of manganese in still-draining mine-water stains rocks orange, and the erosion of cliff formations reveals materials from a colliery landfill. I record various places of memorial and colliery remains. Through ‘slow’ large format photography, and the photopolymer gravure, I create works in which time cannot be specified, where the process is elongated as much as possible, commenting on manual labour, materiality and the ritual of returning home to walk in the empty industrial lands where man once laid his hand.
Subject
Taken in a suburban car boot sale early on a Sunday morning. There is something so vulnerable and intimate about seeing all of someone’s stuff. Becoming a witness to their obsessions, collections, achievements, archives. Personal objects are like emblems of a life, and they’re unceremoniously disclosed on a plastic table or white sheet. (This image is taken from a longer series archiving car boot sales during 2020 in the wake of lockdown).
Subject
My images are about what I and my friends do for fun. We play but as adults. This comes with a few benefits like being able to drive and not having to ask for permission to leave the house. Therefore we take full advantage of our age!
The photos I am sharing follow our day of exploring and riding. We walked, sat, talked and road all along the hilly cliffs of Compton, Isle of Wight.
Subject
“We Do Not Inherit the Earth from Our Ancestors; We Borrow It from Our Children.” - Native American Proverb.
These images are from my project entitled Finite. It looks at the human impact on the environment and the world we are creating. In response to the climate crisis, I wanted to produce work that highlighted the impact of our 21st-century society. I visited Iceland to photograph the disappearing landscape and the glacier tongues of vatnajökull. Some of which will be completely gone in my lifetime. I wanted to document the beautiful and fragile glacier to keep a record of what once was, as well as show people the irreversible damage that is being done. Another impact to the earth is again our use of crude oil which takes its form as plastic. Polluting our oceans and suffocating marine life. I photographed plastic bags to create these deep-sea creatures to give a glimpse into the perhaps not so distant future where our pollution has now integrated into a living organism. I juxtaposed images of a world that is cracking and crumbling with a vision of what we are leaving for future generations.
Subject
‘It must be somewhere here’ is a year-long survey of the Northern deep coal-mining landscape. As the granddaughter of two miners, it acts as both a geographical study and inquiry into ancestry. A departure to colour depicts former colliery sites which have been visually affected by the chemical aftermath of deep coal-mining. Unnaturally high levels of manganese in still-draining mine-water stains rocks orange, and the erosion of cliff formations reveals materials from a colliery landfill. I record various places of memorial and colliery remains. Through ‘slow’ large format photography, and the photopolymer gravure, I create works in which time cannot be specified, where the process is elongated as much as possible, commenting on manual labour, materiality and the ritual of returning home to walk in the empty industrial lands where man once laid his hand.
Subject
A few years ago I borrowed some studio lightening from my mums friend and set up a home studio to photograph dogs from the neighbourhood. This is my own dog Tom, he was a willing subject. He is a big part of my life, we bought him as a family whilst living in India and he travelled back with us to the UK and is now part of the history of my life. He will be 9 in November. The Labrador breed in Britain dates back to at least the 1830s, when it was first introduced from ships trading between the Labrador region of Canada and Poole in Dorsetshire. Its early patrons included the Earl of Malmesbury, the Duke of Buccleuch, the Earl of Home, and Sir John Scott.
Subject
The picture is taken at Auschwitz, it shows the untold story of what happened there. People were told that they will be taken to working camps, so naturally they packed household items. All the items in the picture belonged to people that realised they were told a lie. They had to throw away all the mugs and plates and whatever they brought, realising the items will not be needed.
Subject
My image is of me and my mother. It's my untold story of my family as part of a wider project which is ongoing. I am a convert to Islam and I feel this image truly shows the contrast of who we are, who I used to be and who I am now. I am the second oldest of 7 of us with 2 different dads, my mum always told me I was the "odd borne" the "black sheep of the family" and now I truly feel I do not quite fit in with them, my mum's dad is a Romany Gypsy so it was a shock to them all they don't fully understand me now but I feel they never did anyway.
Subject
The purpose and use of the megalithic sites we see remains of today have always been a mystery to us and look like they always will. This series titled 'Sacred Places' celebrates the different interpretations for their creation that have evolved over time through folklore, allegory, myth and legend in an attempt to understand their presence within the landscape.
This image depicted Tregiffian Burial Chamber near Penzance, Cornwall. It is an entrance grave and was used as a funeral and ritual monument. Cremated bone and funerary urns have been found inside and one of the two portal slabs at its entrance is of special interest due to its face being covered in 25 carvings called cup marks. It is speculated that the 12/13 combination of circular and elongated marks is directly connected to the cycles of the moon, being that in any given year there are 13 full moons and 12 new moons.
Subject
This image is from the series, “Women from the Pakistani Diaspora”. This self-portraits project is composed in Birmingham and explores my mothers identity as an 18-year-old woman of Pakistani origin who emigrated to the United Kingdom. I depict these images by showcasing outfits that were worn by my mother over 35 years ago and by visiting the places that were significant to her life as a young migrant woman in Britain.
The women from the Pakistani diaspora who relocated to the UK were very often the hardworking wives, daughters, mothers and grandmothers of individuals who had migrated from cities, towns and small villages in Pakistan. These individuals came to the UK to work in key industrial sectors and set up businesses that contributed towards the healthy economy of their new-found nation. Pakistani women provided a crucial envelopment of familiarity and comfort that gave their husbands, fathers, children and grandchildren a sense of their place of origin – making it a home away from home. Maryam’s self-portrait collection seeks to recognise the existence and achievements of such Pakistani women and their role as the backbone of a community that transformed inner-city Britain.
Today, British Pakistani women continue to revolutionise gender roles for other women through the determination, emotional support and encouragement of their female peer network.
Subject
From my project 'The women who came before me' which explores the relationships I have held with the women in my family history. What is important about all of the women in my family is that either directly or indirectly, their words, actions and appearances have helped shape who I am. To illustrate this influence, I have archived and created mixed-media installations of family photos by pairing the images with fabrics (dupattas) hand-picked and worn by my mother.