This project for Photo Oxford Festival 2021, was conceived to bring together young people from across different socio economic groups within the city, for them to explore and experience photography.

For six months Elina worked with Looking Forward, an inclusion group run at Pegasus Theatre for vulnerable young women aged 11 to 18 years experiencing challenging circumstances in their lives.

For the project the young people looked at, and responded creatively, to a range of photographic images in order to consider framing, composition and meaning. They experimented with photographic skills, and explored fundamental concepts such light and time. They moved on to consider ways to represent, reveal or conceal themselves and each other, learning that the camera has a different way of seeing and can illuminate and show us something new and unexpected.

The participants guided the process and ended up exploring and refining the ‘light painting’ technique to create a series of final images. These were exhibited, alongside work by d’Overbroeck’s students in central Oxford’s Covered Market as part of Photo Oxford festival.

When asked to reflect on what they enjoyed and gained through the project, participants offered; ‘collaborating and sharing ideas with each other’, ‘working on one piece of work with everyone involved’, ‘to try every idea first before dismissing it’ and ‘gaining confidence to take more pictures and be around new people’. They also commented on how it had boosted their self-esteem and they were all very proud of the final exhibition, taking friends and family along to see the work.