Alternative Lens - a collaborative project with Open Eye Gallery

We are delighted to announce that we have been successfully awarded funding from Arts Council England Project Grants for the collaborative project Alternative Lens with Open Eye Gallery. 

The additional funding gives us both the opportunity to build upon our successful pilot project with Open Eye Gallery artist in residence Hafsa Naib, and the opportunity to recruit a new artist in residence for a project with learners at another prison setting. 

Combining the skills of socially engaged photographers with the life experiences of both learners within prison settings and their families, the programme will explore how photography and creativity can be used as a tool for self-expression, to enhance family relationships, as well as learning new skills to aid rehabilitation. 

Drawing on Novus and Open Eye Gallery’s experience working on socially engaged art projects, new methods of using photography with and for the prison setting will be embedded into a new co-authored model. The twelve month project will culminate in a public showcase to share the work and experiences of the participants, and to spark conversation, breaking down perceptions of those currently in prison settings.