Gwen Riley Jones, Lindsay Taylor and Rob Fulton in discussion at the Craig Easton Symposium.

Is Anybody Listening? Symposium: Commissioning and Collecting Socially Engaged Photography

Thursday 29 February 2024

Williamson Art Gallery & Museum, Birkenhead

On the final leg of the touring exhibition Craig Easton: Is Anybody Listening? the partners and stakeholders came together with the artists and participating communities to ask again: Is Anybody Listening?  

In the morning, we heard directly from Craig Easton, along with facilitators Liz Wewiora, Poppy Cain and Gwen Riley Jones celebrating the work of the young people and emerging photographers that they supported, discovering what impact each project had.

The afternoon focussed more closely on the ethical considerations related to socially engaged photography. Stemming from questions that arose during the project, the session explored topics such as commissioning, collecting, and the criteria for valuing photographs, examining the perspectives of different stakeholders and the underlying reasons.

Two men sat at a table, in discussion at the Craig Easton Symposium.
Discussion at the Symposium, Photography by Roger Sinek.
Seven presenters at the Craig Easton symposium sat in a semi circle, infront of Craig Easton's work, presented on the wall.
Afternoon Panel at the Symposium. Photography by Roger Sinek.
quote from a symposium attendee: "Incredibly rich and invigorating event"

Invited contributors included:

Abdul Aziz Hafiz, Writer & Head of Education – University Centre Blackburn College

Poppy Cain, SEND Youth Engagement Officer – Wirral Borough Council

Craig Easton, Exhibiting Artist/Documentarian 

Sarah Fisher, Executive Director of the socially engaged photographic arts organisation – Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool

Rob Fulton, Youth Work Manager – Salford Youth Service

Laura Jamieson, Creative Producer – LeftCoast, Blackpool

Sarah Lovell, Lead Officer for Culture – Liverpool City Region, Combined Authority

Gwen Riley Jones, Socially-Engaged Photographer and Creative Director – Stockroom, Stockport

Lindsay Taylor, Curator – University of Salford Art Collection

Liz Wewiora, Head of Social Practice – Open Eye Gallery & Programme Leader for MA Art & Design – University of Salford

From the spectrum of socially engaged photographic practice, what should we be collecting?

Evoked by a two-minute presentation from Rob Fulton in response to the provocation above, the panel went on to answer questions about what evidence there was that our audience is interested in Socially Engaged Photographic Practice. The discussion explored whether we are omitting an important part of art history by failing to collect socially engaged practice and how we might begin to think about recompense for those who co-authored the work. This sparked a highly engaged and thought-provoking discussion with the delegates.

Feedback from the audience explored questions including:

  • Should we question whether we should be making/accumulating collections?
  • Is there a hierarchy in the way work is curated? Who appoints curators?
  • Should the process of making the work also be recorded as part of the collection? Is the process more important than the outcome? If so, how do you collect or archive the process?
  • How accessible are galleries/collections? Are they for everyone? Is work more accessible if it’s kept in the public realm?
  • What happens to the work when it is collected, but not on public display? Would it be more useful if given to the community?
  • Are online audiences valued as much as in-person ones?
  • What happens if consent is withdrawn?
  • Who should we be asking what to collect?

Images from the Symposium:

Gwen Riley Jones, Lindsay Taylor and Rob Fulton laugh while sat on green chairs as part of a panel at the Is Anybody Listening Symposium.
People sat around a table engrossed in discussion at the Is Anybody Listening Symposium.
Gwen Riley Jones in a blue jumpsuite presenting feedback from a group sat round a table behind her at the Is Anybody Listening Symposium.
Craig Easton, sat wearing a blue jacket and a yellow shirt at the Is Anybody Listening Symposium
Abdul Aziz Hafiz reading a poem. He hold a white piece of paper in one hand and a microphone in the other at the Is Anybody Listening Symposium
Sarah Lovell, speaking into a microphone at the Is Anybody Listening Symposium

Photography by Roger Sinek.

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Is Anybody Listening? Our Time, Our Place is presented by the University of Salford and generously supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.