Michaela Hans Gallery 2022Michaela Hans Gallery 2022

MICHAELA HANS

Peter Bott Gallery 2022Peter Bott Gallery 2022

PETER BOTT

Emily Hough Gallery 2022Emily Hough Gallery 2022

EMILY HOUGH

Minds and Bodies of All Kinds

Only within recent years, people are beginning to become more educated and accepting about the disabled Community. Even then, there will always be discrimination, bullying. Within my project I wanted to express that having a disability, being neurodivergent isn’t inherently a ”bad thing”- media, movies, TV and general old stigmatization of this have prevented the normalization of having additional needs.

Living so closely, to people struggling with disabilities, its truly inspiring as a young photographer, I plan to capture respectful and creative images, interpreting a new side for this project.

I made my photos black and white, not only to add a sense of importance and reality to the images-  taking elysian from old black and white newspapers, how headlining articles and events photographed in monochrome.

But to also ensure a sense of fluidity in my project- linking all photos as one collection. Environmental portraiture was used mostly in this project, though I feel like some images have a sense of documentary- as I took unplanned images but later really loved the outcome- displaying my initial thought for this disability project.

Hannah Wood-Simmons Gallery 2022Hannah Wood-Simmons Gallery 2022

HANNAH WOOD-SIMMONS

Mental health is the pandemic of our generation, over 10 million people in the UK have a phobia whether it is of spiders, heights, clowns or something a little more unique. When thinking about phobias people often think of overly dramatic or sensitive people.

This is far from realistic as phobias stem from childhood and often rule and dictate people’s lives.  My exhibition raises awareness through a crime suspect board. This is because often people struggle to see the significance of mental health until they can see a physical sign. For my project I am personifying fears, the grasp they have on someone’s reality and freedom, taking over their whole life.  The suspect is some peoples oldest and closest friend… their phobia. 

Danielle Williams Gallery 2022Danielle Williams Gallery 2022

DANIELLE WILLIAMS

For my FMP I have decided to make it all about Body Positivity. I chose this for my final major project because when the body is mentioned in the media it is always from a negative perspective. Such as the media stating that we have dietary issues as some people are overweight or people are harming their bodies. I wanted to help create a culture of change by showing that people should be able to present their bodies in their own way and should not be ashamed by doing so. 

I found different examples of body shaming in the media, such as comments made on social media, such as ‘’he let himself go’’ and ‘’disgusting, ugly woman.’’ Why, in 2022 are we still commenting on people’s bodies and how they present themselves? 

My aim for my project is to show people that it is okay to be different, to have bodies that do not always conform to the cultural stereotypes of the ‘model’. I want to encourage everyone to be proud of themselves, their bodies and who they are. 

Bodies that are bigger, have stretch marks and have short or long hair on their bodies should be acceptable, and not instantly judged. My work aims to show others that the people I am photographing do not follow stereotypes and that is okay to do. 

Patryk WielgusPatryk Wielgus

PATRYK WIELGUS

In my exhibition I wanted to include images from my previous projects in which I used my photos to raise issues about mental health and how its either poorly addressed or neglected completely. 

I chose to exhibit my work in the lift not only because it’s a confined space where you’re more likely to confront the work and really think about the messages that my work portrays but also; because there is a large mirror on the back wall, through which, using the viewers reflection, they will be face to face with how they personally address mental health issues regardless of it being their own or another’s.  

Luke Tyrell Gallery 2022Luke Tyrell Gallery 2022

LUKE TYRELL

I chose to use still-life as a focus for my Final Major Project because I am a creative individual who likes to be in control of my photography. I enjoy self-directed work and love to experiment with different objects. In this project I have created unique pieces of still life that reflects how I see the world. I have taken everyday objects and made them unorthodox. I have done this because I want people to see things differently and provoke people’s creativity. I also want my work to be aesthetically pleasing to my audience.

Megan Tanner Gallery 2022Megan Tanner Gallery 2022

MEGAN TANNER

My project is about horror and supernatural themes and the isolation that comes with grief and death. I challenged myself to explore past the confines of my own creativity to test the boundaries of photography and narrative. My inspiration for leading me into this project is photographer Christopher McKenney who creates striking yet haunting visuals that challenge the eye and mind.

Mariusz Ratka Gallery 2022Mariusz Ratka Gallery 2022

MARIUSZ RATKA

Life can seem so fragmented and disordered at times. These images attempt to explore the idea of mental health and that we all have multiple identities. My images show, as a species we are always flying around and can never rest; hence the aeroplane and bench photographs.

I have included a self-portrait, this is how I see myself, part artist, part photographer and also in a way disembodied. I’ve used photoshop to create these images, using multiple layers to build on the original shot and create a story of daily activities people may go through and also to represent myself as said previously part artist and part photographer.  

Ashleigh Mills Gallery 2022Ashleigh Mills Gallery 2022

ASHLEIGH MILLS

My project called ‘Projections’ shows high contrast black and white images made using a projector. Throughout this project, I was inspired by 1960’s black and white pop art as well as high contrast black and white photographers such as Irving Penn.  

My work explores beauty in an abstract form as people’s faces and bodies are hidden in patterns yet we still find them beautiful. It reflects on how our own views on how we look are often distorted because of the society we grow up in (with idealised beauty in media). My images show beauty is definitive as each person, has different things that they believe make a person beautiful.

We look at other peoples insecurities and find them beautiful but we are harsh on ourselves, so this project invites you to challenge your own perception on yourself. The images also have a focus on femininity as I wanted to capture women who felt empowered by their own feminine energy so that the images give off an edgy, powerful feel to them. I hope this set of work makes people, especially women, reflect on how they see themselves and work more towards body acceptance and self love. 

In addition to this, I created a large darkroom print of Ellie Avison to celebrate her individuality. The print is made from lots of smaller pieces of paper for us to piece together like a jigsaw. This illustrates how complicated we all are as people as we all have lots of different things that make up who we are as a person. A big part of Ellie’s individualism is her style which she expresses through her clothes, jewellery and hair. For the print, I deliberately had the hair and jewellery in a sharper focus compared to the rest of her as it brings attention to her style and individuality.

The image of Sophia Evans represents a confident clarity as her headphones drown out the negative noises we encounter as young women. Women have lots of outside pressure from several outlets telling us how be and look and by choosing to not listen to this we can find a better understanding of who we really are. My image of Caitlin Barham also shows a confident and glamorous pose however the deliberate blur comments on attempts to subvert the male gaze