Thursday, 28 September 2023
A photography facility in Nottingham is reviving a declining art form and giving members of the public the chance to experience life as a professional artist, including having their work displayed in an exhibition.
The ‘Make It Easy Lab’ is based in the city centre and it gives people the chance to learn and produce analogue photography. Since the mid-nineteenth century, this was the only kind of photography available to artists. It involves using chemical processes in a dark room to capture images on paper, film or hard plate. However, the recent popularity of digital photography in the last decade means that it is becoming a dying art form.
Make It Easy Lab supports people of all abilities, and it gives them physical access to facilities such as cameras, darkrooms and scanners, as well as online expertise. The aim is to help people make photographs instead of just taking them. Six people from across the East Midlands were given residencies, which were funded by the University of Nottingham. They received photography training and help to produce a set of images inspired by the Meadows area of Nottingham and their work will be displayed at an exhibition at Beam from 3rd October.
The idea of the residencies was to support aspiring photographers, to offer them access to materials, skills and education, with a view to making a series of photographs about the Meadows. The project has been incredibly successful and I am looking forward to seeing their work exhibited at Beam in October.
This project has not only given us the opportunity to provide educational experiences to individuals within different communities, but it has also enabled us to create an environment in which those individuals can collaborate creatively and reach out to established communities within the Meadows area of Nottingham.
Dan Wheeler from Make It Easy Lab adds: “The individuals we selected for the opportunity who were once keen amateurs are now seasoned practitioners, thinking beyond simply snapping pictures, they are now picture makers! I’m excited for the future of the residency programme and the collective archive it will produce, documenting the city and its creativity.”
“The residency has really been life-changing for me,” says Annie, who took part in the project. “I feel so outrageously lucky to have had this chance to learn how to use my camera and the darkroom properly in such a supportive environment, as well as some of the philosophical and ethical implications of making pictures. I have met brilliant and talented people who I now consider to be friends and have got to know and become part of a community in the Meadows that I would have never had access to if not for the residency. For the first time in my life, I not only feel part of a community of artists, I feel comfortable and justified in calling myself an artist. In discovering film photography, I know I’ve discovered a lifelong creative practice, and I couldn’t be happier or more grateful for that opportunity.”
Fellow participant, Jinni, adds: “As someone who has always considered their creative outlets as “hobbies “only, this project has given me the push to begin looking at my work, and the images I make, in a new light. The mentorship has been invaluable, both through my fellow residents but particularly through the guidance and teaching at Make It Easy. Without this residency, it is more than likely that I wouldn’t have had the funds to access some of the facilities and learning that I have been able to thanks to this program. I am incredibly grateful to have been given this opportunity, which has inspired my practice, enhanced my knowledge and skills, and given me much more confidence in myself as a photographer.”
The exhibition will run from 3rd October until 15th October at Beam. It will be open each Thursday-Saturday from 9am until 5pm and entry is free.
Story credits
Photographs by: Jinni Sur, Annie Warren, Emily Azadpour & Kev Hawken
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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