A photo gallery of young women from marginalised communities in the North East and Liverpool is currently being displayed in the Art Space to accompany Jumping Puddles which is here this Thursday.
The play is centred on two teenage sisters struggling to cope with their own difficulties and adolescent pressures.
International photo journalist Phyllis Christopher was commissioned for the portrait exhibition by Newcastle based theatre company Open Clasp and Frantic Assembly to capture the emotions and stories of young women.
The portraits capture the women in a range of emotions and each woman represents a story of marginalisation because of their sexuality, race, religion or social status. Many of the photo portraits were taken by the women themselves of each other to capture genuine emotion as Phyllis explains:
“The Jumping Puddles photography project was a wonderful chance to introduce photography to young women as a tool for communication and self-portrayal. I set up a traditional portrait studio and created a fun and safe environment for photography to happen, and happily this manifested in many of the young women taking the photographs of each other. My intention was to hand over as much of the process of taking pictures as possible to them, so that those who felt more comfortable behind the camera could participate as much as those who liked to be photographed. My hope is that in having a hand in the process, the images are a more genuine interpretation of this time spent together with friends.”
Don’t miss the portraits which are being displayed until Saturday.