Students’ Voices/Students’ Work
This spring we piloted a new interdisciplinary venture: an intensive four-day course that combined an in-depth look at the history and theory of portrait photography with a hands-on engagement with this vital cultural practice.
Looking at ourselves: A historical and practical exploration of portrait photography was co-written and delivered by noted photographer Alistair Morrison and art historian Dr Tim Satterthwaite. In classroom, gallery and archival sessions, students encountered photographic portraiture from its origins to the present day. This historical context then provided food for thought for their own work, which they made and curated under Alistair Morrison’s guidance. It was an uplifting and moving experience to listen to students as they presented their work on the final day of the course. Some quotes from the students on their works featured below:
I don’t think photographs carry a stand-alone truth, they are taken to evoke an emotion or reaction; even so called scientific photographs are, at best, trying to show a particular point.
‘…a young guy stopped me and said enthusiastically, ‘Take my picture!’. So I did. He gave me his photographic pose at first, all cool and streetwise. I asked him to relax and just look at me. Then I saw the person underneath, just a kid on the street who wanted to talk. He asked me if there was a bureau de change nearby and we exchanged Instagram details. He likes the photograph and so do I. There’s a glow of light on his face and the tree in the background looks like a halo. The wanderer who helped me get over my fear of photographing strangers.
As I was setting up the shot I wanted, a barber inside saw us and gave a thumbs up. So I captured two smiling faces joining in the enterprise which seemed rather a nice harmony, so I called it Barbershop Duet.
I very rarely include myself in photographs. Much preferring to stay hidden behind the lens. Hence I guess that this photograph was a way of staying as hidden as possible whilst still fulfilling the selfie brief.
We are grateful to Alistair and Tim for providing a stimulating and supportive learning environment in which our students’ creativity could take flight. To take part in the course, no previous experience of photography was required. While our students had varying degrees of familiarity with the medium, they all produced accomplished and intriguing artwork, a small selection of which you can see in the gallery below.
