Thoughts in Pictures
5 August 2008
Thoughts in Pictures is a multi-agency project aiming to promote community cohesion and encourage a greater understanding of difference by bringing together older people, young people and disabled people for the very first time.
Supported by KPAC (Knowsley Parents and Carers), four community groups of different ages, abilities and backgrounds from across Knowsley shared the same artistic process in order to create theatrical images that exemplified a sense of self.
This process is inherently linked to artistic work at the Everyman and Playhouse Theatres with the support of Knowsley Arts Service. Through using the themes of race, power and identity present within the play Noughts and Crosses, the groups were encouraged to consider and then formalise an image and a caption that celebrated something about themselves.
Through four sessions with a professional theatre practitioner, a photo shoot at the Everyman Theatre, a community photography day and a Theatre Visit, each individual created a dramatic image that encompassed and celebrated their own culture, thinking and overall identity.
The outcome is a beautiful book of photographic images, in which each individual has created a statement about their aspirations, achievements or current life situation.
Nichola Holding, a service user who also works as a part-time receptionist at Alternative Futures Group, took part in the sessions and told us that it had been an exciting and enjoyable experience. She’s very proud of her image and says she is looking forward to keeping in touch with the new friends she has made through the project.