Photography with The Marylebone Project

5 May

May 2022

In May 2022, Mental Fight Club commissioned a joint photography project with the Marylebone Project run by Church Army. We worked with photographer Marysa Dowling, introducing women who live at the Marylebone Centre to some of the skills and techniques of photography. The theme of the project was “Challenging Perceptions of homelessness” and all the sessions took place within the centre itself, a place of safety, home, friendship and community to the women who use the centre. This allowed the photographs that were taken to reflect a place of great importance to those taking part and a window into the lives of those women that many may not expect.

We were also able to explore having women in front of the camera as well as behind and to empower them to be curators of their own work and to choose how they wanted their images to be portrayed. With the freedom and guidance to edit their own images throughout, the women had full freedom of perspective, colour, use of props and expression which enabled individual choice of how their personalities could shine out of the work and images they created.

After 5 sessions we concluded with a celebration event held at the Marylebone Project with the women who took part, Marysa and staff from both organisations.

Church Army:

“Church Army was founded in 1882 by a Church of England clergyman to train ordinary men and women to share their faith. Today we are a mission community of evangelists authorised by the Anglican Church, people with a passion for evangelism who are transforming lives and neighbourhoods throughout the British Isles and Ireland.We are bold, seen as trailblazers. We don’t stand still. We take risks to remain progressive. We are also down to earth, with real people on the ground, engaging in real life situations.”

The Marylebone Project run by Church Army provides a life-changing service for homeless women and is the largest and longest-running centre of its kind in London and the UK with over 90 years of experience supporting vulnerable homeless women in crisis. Within their safe environment women rebuild trust, learn to re-engage with society and through empowerment start to re-build their lives through their all-encompassing service provision.

Their newly opened space where we held the project is The sanctuary.

“No matter the time of day, the day of the week, the circumstances or the reason, The Sanctuary at the Marylebone Project is open for any women in crisis.24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The Sanctuary is an all-encompassing space where vulnerable women at risk – during the day or at night – can feel safe, supported and not alone in dealing with the crisis they are facing allowing them to move forward.”

Marysa Dowling:

Marysa Dowling is a London based photographer with incredible skill and a deep interest in community and how we interact within it.

“My photographic practice is focused on portraiture and concerned with humanity, behaviour, interconnected relationships, interaction and communication. My focus in on building community through shared photographic experiences; participation is key. I set simple rules and parameters to encourage people to explore how they communicate and relate to each other and the places they live. Predominantly my work is an exploration and observation of how people co-exist, relate to and interact with each other, and the various environments they inhabit. I often cultivate the same theme in several countries, building connections across communities, societies and cultures. My intention is to create thoughtful and playful photographic works that come into being through social interaction.

Dowling has worked on commissions, projects and residencies in the UK, Ireland, Los Angeles, Cuba, South Africa, Mexico, India and Lebanon. Group and solo exhibitions include 209 Women Portcullis House, Portraits: Shared Experiences, Galeria Jardin, ITESO Mexico, Journeys | Recoriddos with LACMA in Los Angeles, The Movement of an Object at The Photographers’ Gallery, How We learn at Belfast Exposed and the John Kobal Portraiture Award at the National Portrait Gallery. She has been commissioned to produce work for publication and exhibition by Belfast Exposed, Tate, The Whitechapel Gallery, The Photographers’ Gallery, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, South London Gallery, The Courtauld Gallery and Barnardo’s children’s charity.” From Marysa’s Website.

We would like to thank all the took part and helped organise this project.

See what was created below: