Stands Alone - Exhibition Talk

Join the exhibition talk at the Geffrye museum exhibition gallery as I give my personal insight into the experience of photographing the residents of Highbury Stadium Square and recording their thoughts. 

Sunday 21 April, 2pm and 3.30pm. 

Admission free with an exhibition ticket.

More info here: http://www.geffrye-museum.org.uk/whatson/ 

Press release is ready: Stands Alone exhibition at the Geffrye Museum

Stands Alone

Tuesday 16 April – Monday 26 August 2013

“It’d be nice if there were more opportunities to foster a community”

(Sarah, Highbury Square resident)

‘Stands Alone’ explores the community at Highbury Stadium Square, the residential complex located at the former Arsenal football stadium in North London.

Through vivid portrayals, photographer Simone Novotny reveals the lives and stories of the inhabitants of 30 of the 700 newly established homes.  She exposes the singularity of people that are usually treated as a mass: in the past as fans, more recently as privileged residents.  From designers to lawyers, students to teachers, engineers to architects, everyone lives behind similar front doors distinct from each other only by a number. They include Kate, Maria, Sophie, Greg, Bill, David… individuals who share the hopes of building a sense of community, though they stand alone.

Simone Novotny, whilst also a resident at Highbury Stadium Square, worked with each of the participants to develop a series of portraits in which they defined how, when and where they wanted to be represented in their homes. One of the participants said “This is a really interesting project and I’m glad the history of the area and people’s stories are being documented”.

These intimate documentary pictures depict not only the aesthetics of these new homes, but they also reflect the thoughts and emotions of residents. They are presented alongside audio and video testimony which illustrates how – even though physically living close to each other – it can be difficult to create and maintain a sense of community.

Notes to the Editors:

1)    For further information or images, or to arrange an interview with Simone Novotny, please contact Nancy Loader, Press Office at nloader@geffrye-museum.org.uk or on 020 7739 9893.

2)    Simone Novotny has a post-graduate degree in Photography from Central St. Martins, London and an MSc in Development at the London School of Economics. She has worked for Amnesty International, PhotoVoice, Red Cross, Save the Children and Concern Worldwide. Used to depicting the lives of communities elsewhere, in this project Simone Novotny decided that it was time to explore the lives of her own neighbours. For more information about the photographer and the project visit http://www.eyesofchange.com/standsalone/

3)    Highbury Stadium Square is a modern housing complex in North London with more than 700 flats. It was constructed between 2006 and 2009 within the grounds of the former Arsenal football stadium. In 2008 the stands became flats and the pitch a ‘communal’ garden. The last game at Highbury was on 19 April 2006 (Arsenal x Villareal). 

4)    The Geffrye Museum explores the home from around 1600 to the present day, focusing on the living rooms of the urban middle classes in England, particularly London.  A sequence of period rooms illustrate how such homes have been used and furnished, reflecting changes in society and patterns of behaviour, as well as style, fashion and taste.

Stands Alone at Geffrye Museum

Stands Alone will be exhibited at Geffrye Museum from 16 April to 26 August 2012.

For more information visit: www.geffrye-museum.org.uk/whatson/future/

Photography workshop facilitator to young people in Peckham

In the next few months I will be working for Photovoice as an assistant facilitator in the Lookout UK Project. I will be showing youngsters (13 to 25 years old) how to use a camera and how to feed into the debate around gangs and knife crime through photography. I have already helped in two Taster Workshops and I am really looking forward to working with them throughout the whole project.

Student Lifestyle Commission for the National Union of Students

Shooting celebrities for Revolver Entertainment at Payback Season Premier

Nicola Burley, Sir Geoff Hurst and Adam Deacon amongst many others.

Photo on the cover of a Swedish magazine

The work I was commissioned to do for Red Cross in Kenya earlier in 2011 was published at Henry, a Swedish magazine. The photo featured in the cover is mine :)

You can see more photos of this commission clicking on the first posts of September 2011.

Rwandese survivors of the genocide still at risk

While working for the Uganda Red Cross I interviewed and photographed Rwandese refugees in Kyaka II Refugee Settlement. See http://www.eyesofchange.com/rwanda

Rwandese refugees in Uganda facing forced return as the cessation clause is invoked.

During the 1994 genocide and aftermath, thousands of Rwandese fled to neighboring countries to escape violence and death. Many Rwandese refugees entered Uganda and started living in designated settlements. The persecution did not stop though. The Rwandese government started chasing refugees in the vicinity a few years later. In Uganda it happened in the form of forced repatriation. In 2003, the governments of Rwanda and Uganda and the UNHCR signed an agreement to repatriate about 30,000 refugees living in Uganda. There have been repeated attempts to forcibly return refugees to Rwanda in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2010 and 2011. Also, since 2010 all refugees from Rwanda were prohibited from cultivating their land in Kyaka II settlement, which makes their livelihoods even more challenging. The cessation clause, by which Rwandese refugee status would be brought to an end by 31 December 2011, is also being invoked. Therefore, currently thousands of Rwandese refugees face the risk of having to return to their country when there have not been substantial, effective and durable changes to ensure their safety upon return.

See http://www.eyesofchange.com/rwanda

Why am I here? Why am I in this settlement? Why am I in Uganda?

While working for the Uganda Red Cross I interviewed and photographed refugees from Congo, living in Kyaka II Refugee Settlement. See: http://www.eyesofchange.com/congo

Congo: a war that never seems to end. A constant flow of asylum seekers.

“I do not know the real cause of war. It has been ongoing for so many years”, says a Congolese refugee.

Congo. A vast country. Lots of minerals. Illegal exploitation of natural resources. Many tribes. Tribal war for decades. War is part of Congolese’s past and present. Guns, bullets, killings, chopping of bodies and violence. Fear, torture, rape, sacking, prison, child soldiers, forced recruitment.

Kyaka II. A refugee settlement. Set up in 1967. 81 km². More than 15.000 refugees. Western Uganda. 9 zones, each with 4-6 villages. 5 primary schools. 90% of the refugees are from Congo.

Bare houses. No windows. No bed. No mattress. No chair. No table. No food. No electricity. No water. Sometimes a calendar or a poster on the wall. 1 or 2 pieces of clothes.

Strong people. Fled from war. Ran away at gunpoint. Suffered torture, bad and inhuman treatment. Escaped. Walked for days without any personal belongings to cross a border in the hope of safety. Lost members of the family. Had to leave them behind. Miss the relatives and friends.

People who have no option but to rely on foreign aid. Granted a small piece of land in Uganda. Barely able to live out of subsistence. Policies that do not help them to become self-reliant. Bad treatment for some, a safe heaven for others. Hoping to return to their country of origin. Simply willing to live in peace. Wishing to be re-settled to another country.

See: http://www.eyesofchange.com/congo

A special encounter: Mountain Gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda.

Gorillas are huge, robust and furry. It is amazing to actually be able to get as close as 4 metres from such large forest animals. Gorillas are docile, peaceful, relaxed, lazy and slow. Each of their movements is carefully though as if not to spend energy unnecessarily. Gorillas enjoy loving and caring for their families. In between eating leaves and more leaves, gorillas cuddle and hug each other with a lot of affection.

Mountain gorillas live in groups (from 8 to 40 individuals) and there are usually between 1 and 3 silverbacks – the strong dominant males. This group I saw is called Oruzogo.