Recovery service users show their own photographs for Photo Fringe

Eight people who use the Brighton and Hove Recovery Service have made an exhibition of their own photographs, which opens on Saturday 10 October as part of Photo Fringe^1,3.

It’s called Three Frames. Each person took three pictures, one each for an object, a person and a place, and each set of three makes a triptych that tells a story. Many were new to photography. Over a series of workshops in September they learned the technical side and the storytelling side from the photographer Tolly Robinson.

The subjects are local. Michael Nye photographed Whitehawk, the valley below the racecourse, including a church that was rebuilt after it was bombed in the Second World War. Cam Fulker waited for dusk at the end of the summer for his series, The Beauty in Brighton, which shows his hometown’s parks and his friends in the evening light. Juniper McBurnie’s set is about feeling safe, from belonging at Dyke Pride to the support of living at the YMCA.

The photographer G.C. took the point of view of her cat, Caesar, who regards Brighton as his own. According to the exhibition notes, she corrects anyone who says she takes him for a walk: it is the cat that takes her.

The show is at Change Grow Live’s Brighton site. David Garrett, service manager at Change Grow Live, said: “Learning how to tell your story and, sometimes, finding new ways to tell it is central to our shared experience.”

“There is particular value in being able to stand back, look at something you have made and feel satisfaction before anybody else offers likes or comments,” he told the Argus².

“That moment of ownership and self-discovery means photography has the potential to be a powerful tool in addiction recovery.”

The exhibition is open on Saturdays from 10 to 31 October, 1.30pm to 5pm.

First reported by the Argus.