"100 UCL employees: How You See Us" A project celebrating UCL staff of African Origin

Black & White Portrait of one of the 100 UCL staff members in the "How You See Us" project.

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Commissioned to develop and create portraits for the project by UCL

I was commissioned by UCL University College London to create portraits as part of a project to celebrate the rich heritage of African and Caribbean staff at UCL, along with their invaluable contributions to education, research, professional services and university life and challenge preconceived ideas and bias based around colour.

I have worked with UCL for many years covering a wide variety of their photographic needs especially in promoting creative courses, diversity and inclusion.

I was first approached to help create the portraits for the project with quite an open brief, Black & White portraits, the title, it’s purpose & understandable practicalities of 100 portraits in a short time frame with a limited budget.

My approach to this project

& how I feel the images should be read

As a white male photographer there is a lot of history around how people of colour have been and are photographed so this was an opportunity to address those issues and understand broader perspectives.

My starting point was the title which poses the challenging question of how you see us, this begins with an important fact that when we see anyone one of the first things we acknowledge is the colour of their skin. This is an important part of our individual identity but is also the starting point for introspection, what do you see?

What unconscious bias or stereotype does this invoke in your inner voice and how will you then proceed. These are the very basic root elements of our bias which we all need recognise, examine, challenge and make a decision to move forward. This is the reason I chose a black background to represent this basic level of recognition, when you see beyond that you are able to recognise the individual, their richness, story and beauty. This then led to idea of revealing or pulling each sitter from that darkness into the light. In this way I can reveal details about the individuals personality, strength, humanity, joy & character to create recognition and engagement with the viewer.

Black & white photography automatically invokes a sense of history & timelessness which I acknowledged and reinforced with the use of a more painterly/classical hollywood hero style lighting. I paid meticulous attention to detail in terms of skin tone with each individual, getting a true representation of this key element of identity is something that has been and still is not given the consideration it deserves and is an understandable frustration people of colour in particular have with photography and photographers. I’m happy to say that when sitters saw their final portrait prints in the exhibition this was one key element that they commented on. My understanding, acknowledgment and care about skin tones was greatly appreciated.

The initiators of the project Teresa Dawkins & Sara Shefiei also organised each portrait to be accompanied by a personal audio narrative, inviting viewers to hear firsthand the stories, passions, and interests of the individuals behind the images. These narratives foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of who they truly are.

Below is the press release for the exhibition

The rich heritage of African and Caribbean staff at UCL, along with their invaluable contributions to education, research, professional services and university life. Celebrated in a traveling photographic exhibition.

‘100 UCL Employees: How You See Us’ features photo portraits of 100 members of staff from across the institution and highlights a vast array of specialists and roles, including engineers, teaching fellows, HR and legal professionals, communicators, facilities and security staff.

The exhibition launches at a special event on October 31st, marking the end of Black History Month (BHM), and will initially be held at UCL's Bartlett School of Architecture at 22 Gordon Street, for six weeks before going on tour to other parts of UCL.

Along with showcasing the important roles African and Caribbean staff play in every aspect of UCL, the exhibition is intended to shine a spotlight on individuals for many months, far longer than BHM allows.

Explaining the importance of the exhibition, Co-Curator and Project Manager Teresa Dawkins, who is the PhD Student Adviser within The Bartlett, UCL's Faculty of the Built Environment, said: “This is a wonderfully unique collection of 100 African and Caribbean portraits capturing the rich diversity of experiences from right across our UCL community, and celebrates the heritage, culture and vital contributions of these individuals.

“Each portrait is accompanied by a personal audio narrative, inviting you to hear firsthand the stories, passions, and interests of the individuals behind the images. These narratives foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of who they truly are.”

The idea for the exhibition was borne out of inspiration from other portrait exhibitions visited by Teresa, in particular one she visited two years ago called ‘Entwined’ by Cherron Lee Johnson. A small collection of six portraits giving interconnected insight to the lives of those featured.

UCL staff who identified as African and Caribbean were invited to participate and were asked to reach out to other colleagues to declare an interest in also taking part.

Photographer Richard Stonehouse from Stonehouse Photographic took all the photos at the Bartlett School of Architecture and individuals were free to choose what they wore.

Jonathan Tyrrell, Director of Exhibitions at the Bartlett School of Architecture, enhanced the sound quality of their personal stories, that visitors can listen to while viewing the individual’s portrait.

Co-Curator and Project Manager Sara Shafiei, who is Vice Dean of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at the Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment, said: “Launching on the final day of Black History Month, this exhibition serves as a powerful reminder that the acknowledgment and celebration of these contributions by African and Caribbean staff must live beyond a single moment in time and be woven into the fabric of our everyday culture and appreciation at UCL.

“We invite the public to engage with the exhibition, immerse yourself in these powerful stories, and participate in conversations that reflect the rich tapestry of our community.”

Teresa and Sara added: “Our heartfelt thanks go to the 100 UCL employees who generously shared their stories and portraits to this exhibition. Your openness and participation have made this celebration possible. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us.”

The exhibition is sponsored by The Bartlett, UCL's Faculty of the Built Environment, the UCL EDI Contribution and Engagement Fund, the UCL Student Success Office and the Provost’s office.

‘100 UCL Employees: How You See Us’ is based at the Ground Floor Exhibition Space, 22 Gordon Street, London, WC1H OQB, and is open to the public from 1st November 2024 through to 14th December 2024. It will then be relocated to other parts of UCL – locations to be decided – in the New Year.