The concept of PHOTOPHRIDAY was developed by our talented art teacher, Mr Hazeldine, to encourage his Year 12 students to get away from their screens and look beyond the confines of their desks during lockdown; it is an open-ended photographic gallery that acts as a catalyst for creativity. Students receive a weekly ‘instruction’ and then respond personally, and quite independently, the following Friday with their photographic images.
Now, more than ever, I believe it is vital that we make time in our lives to simply observe our surroundings and allow ourselves to be playful and ‘re-create’.
Picking up a camera is powerful; when we take pictures, we learn to look. We learn to see and interrogate. But, most importantly, we remind ourselves that our own points of view and our own take on the world has validity. As the virtual gallery grows, I’m hopeful that students will contribute their own instructions and become their own curators.