Press release -
Homeless photographers capture London
The photographers in the MyLondon Photo Project exhibition have all experienced homelessness. The goal of the project was to focus on what they love about London. The exhibition opens in Spitalfields Arts Market, Brushfield Street, on Tuesday 11 June and is up for 6 days and every photo is for sale, earning money for rough sleepers, sofa surfers and other people who have experienced homelessness.
More than 200 other photos are in the exhibition as every participant was asked to choose their best photos to exhibit. Twenty photos were chosen as finalists and are voted on by the public to get a chance of getting into the 2020 MyLondon calendar. The project is now in it’s 7th year and participants in the project have earned more than £150,000 from selling their photos and the annual MyLondon calendar.
The MyLondon Photo Project is run by Cafe Art, a social enterprise. Every photo is for sale and the money raised will go to the photographers and to fund more art projects for people affected by homelessness - getting people into employment.
In May 100 disposable Fujifilm cameras were handed out to rough sleepers, sofa surfers and other people affected by homelessness at St Paul’s Cathedral. Seven days later the cameras were returned and the film developed with incredible results.
The Royal Photographic Society has supported the project since 2013 and the executive director Dr Michael Pritchard said: “Café Art has found an innovative way to use photography to support and empower the homeless to change their own lives for the better”.
Paul Ryan from Cafe Art said: “The project has been very successful in helping give participants a sense of self worth. By giving them confidence they are able to go further. The project has inspired other projects around the world and we have connected Fujifilm with partner projects in many cities, including Budapest, Sydney, New Orleans and Toronto.”
The exhibition runs from Tuesday 11 June to Sunday 16 June in Spitalfields Arts Market from 10am to 5pm. The market is also providing space for artists who have been homeless.
You can see the photos from this year’s project on
https://www.mynewsdesk.com/uk/cafe-art-uk-community-interest-company/latest_media
For comment about the project contact
Paul Ryan, Cafe Art director, on 07517 141948 email paul@cafeart.org.uk
Facebook: cafeartforhomelessartists
Instagram: @cafeartuk
Twitter: @cafeartuk
Topics
- Art, Culture, Entertainment
Categories
- social enterprise
- photography
- london
- homelessness
- homeless
- exhibition
- employment
- competition
- art
CAFÉ ART connects people affected by homelessness with the wider community through art. We hang artwork created in art groups run by homelessness sector organisations and hang it in independent cafes in London. We also run photography contests with disposable FujiFilm cameras.
