Photography undergraduates get the opportunity to be part of Sefton Councils 2019 campaign, “Friendship”
Digital Imaging and Photography undergraduates from the Hugh Baird University Centre have been working in partnership with Sefton Council on its ‘Year of Friendship’ campaign to tackle social isolation.
The Council’s year-long campaign aims to bring people together and encourage people to build their networks in order to help with the growing societal issue of loneliness.
Students are supporting the campaign by using the photography skills they have learnt on their course to create an exhibition exploring the theme of friendship.
The undergraduates have been tasked to creatively interpret and explore what being a friend to someone means and looks like. The students’ work will be exhibited at the Atkinson Gallery in Southport later this year.
Being involved in the project is not only giving students the opportunity to capture poignant moments, but also gain an understanding of how photography and digital imaging is applied in industry situations and the pressures that come with working on a live brief for a large client.
Nicky Speed, Head of Communications at Sefton Council delivered the brief to the group and said:
It was fantastic to come in and speak to the students who are taking part in this brilliant project for our borough, which aims to reach out to those people who need it most, to open conversations about loneliness, how people are affected and where to get help. I’m delighted that Hugh Baird are supporting this campaign in a creative way and it was great to hear the students’ different ideas and the variety of interpretations on ‘friendship’.
As a council we are keen to support our partners and it’s great to be able to work with Hugh Baird to help grow the potential of students during their time at University.
Projects like this are brilliant for the students to be a part of as it builds up their portfolio and confidence for when they leave university to pursue a career in photography, whilst also having the chance to take part in a campaign that brings the local community together.
I can’t wait to see the finished results when they are showcased at the Atkinson Gallery.
The brief also focuses on the undergraduate’s career readiness as they get the opportunity to work on a live brief with a real-life client, Sefton Council, who have offered their support and guidance for throughout the project.
Tadhg Devlin, Course Lecturer for the Digital Imaging and Photography course said:
We aim to have our undergraduates career ready when they leave us and being involved in Sefton Council’s 2019 ‘Friendship’ campaign will help to show the students what working in the real world is like and the demands that it brings. It’s all great experience for the undergraduates and really helps them when they attend interviews or pitch for work.
The brief has been a really inspiring one and I’m extremely excited about the work the students are producing. There are some fantastic examples and those who come along to the Atkinson Gallery won’t be disappointed.
The Digital Imaging and Photography courses at the Hugh Baird University Centre are approved by the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan). For more information please visit: www.hughbaird.ac.uk/university-centre or call 0151 353 4444.
For more information about Sefton Council’s Year of Friendship campaign visit mysefton.co.uk/category/2019-seftons-year-of-friendship/.
