What I had envisioned for this talk is what took place; it became an open, honest group conversation, with both vulnerabilities and laughter (at my expense!) being shared. We began, as you might expect, by discussing each person’s practice and approach to community work, but from there the topics naturally evolved.

Anselm Ebulue discussed how the history and politics of social housing fuel his drive to continue documenting his local area of Peckham. India Mae Alby spoke about how finding her rollerskating community in many ways changed her life, from being more confident, allowing her to create her first photobook, to meeting her now husband. Sana Badri mentioned that, being self-taught, her approach to her practice is steeped in community. She learned from others, pooling skills and resources with her peers to take a grassroots approach to her work. For example, she described wheat pasting prints in the windows of local shops for all to see. Lastly, Hannah Norton spoke about being conscious of the political connotations that food banks carry, but being intentional about focusing on the humanity of the visitors. Specifically showing the beauty of the people that she was around week in and week out, for five years.

From here, the conversation opened up to the wider photography landscape, with the room agreeing with Jermaine Francis that the myth of the lone genius photographer is just that, a myth. That working with others for mutual gain and mutual sacrifices is the way forward, and that is how he has come so far. With Zula Rabikowska echoing that sentiment, saying that the resources to make this possible are available in London, citing the collective she founded, “Rethinking Eastern Europe”.

Ultimately, I feel like the day was a success, especially as this is my first foray into organising a talk like this. The topics covered will stay with me for some time, as the discussion moved from looking at communities within our practices to focusing on the strengths of community while navigating your practice. I know I will have a lot to reflect on moving forward.

I look forward to having the opportunity to arrange more talks like this, and I would like to explore curation at some point!

Thank you to all the participants and visitors who attended.