The contemporary component of SHE_SEES is led by portrait photographer Emilie Sandy and textile artist Erna Janine. Theirs is a fresh conceptual and visual approach –– ‘Storytelling Through Textiles And Portrait Photography’. 

This series introduces twenty-one professional women working within a range of maritime roles in the UK. As co-participants, their stories, visions, and collective experiences inform the creative outcome through photographs, textiles, and moving image.

Creative storytelling offers a collaborative approach between the artists and their subjects: each image is embedded at a location chosen by the women, emphasising their sense of place. 

The overall style of the series was pre-determined with a bespoke ‘hyper-real’ lighting style to encapsulate the women in their environments –– specifically to spotlight and empower the women, as well as to enhance nature’s outstanding backdrops. The point of view offers a connected stance, enabling the viewer a glimpse into the women’s maritime roles.

The artists and the women’s collaborative approach supports the representation of truths in the maritime industry. The photography, and creation and placement of the weave call attention to - and challenge - typical archetypal roles that continue. It presents an opportunity to push on - and expand - the conversation; maintaining and striving to keep the message, and stories, alive.

The textile component of SHE_SEES has been handwoven using traditional natural fibres: Flaxland in Gloucestershire grew the flax fibres; Contemporary Hempery in Suffolk provided the hemp; and a tribal village in Odisha, India, supplied hand-spun jute for this project.

Each textile component has been created individually to support a creative element within each photograph, with several historical references forming the basis for the textile work: Chatham Dockyard Ropery records on rope-walking; Greenwich Maritime Museum sail fragments of the HMS Terror; wool sail construction research found in Kassia St. Clair’s The Golden Thread (published 2019), along with several anonymous photographic depictions of historical maritime wear. 

As well as practical referential “pieces”, several textural works were created as background/metaphorical material –– referring to waves, shipping lanes, tides, day/night time, ripples, flow, load lines, etc. All textile work is handwoven by Erna Janine on a Japanese Saori loom at her studio in Stroud, Gloucestershire. 

For the historical component of SHE_SEES, Erna Janine created two large woven panels that encapsulate photos printed on fabric by weaving the images into a textile layer - a historical reference to tapestry weaving as a visual aid to storytelling.

Access stories here

Branding, design, and exhibition design by SAMA CREATIVES

In the Pink Room explores the concept of the Inner Child through storytelling, textiles, and photography. The journey began with Emilie Sandy addressing her inner child during her recent therapy sessions, it was suggested that her inner child was not being heard or seen, as well as feeling restricted in her creative journey. Emilie wanted to utilise this information in her next project, which led to a third collaboration with Erna Janine. Weaving and Photography both can bring you to the present, as well as enable a mindful approach to creative thinking. 

In the Pink Room is a metaphor for a person’s inner landscape of their own experiences of childhood, specifically focusing on the young imaginative child – free from societal conformity. 

The installation invites the viewer to enter a ‘pink room’, on either side are portraits of the general public that participated in weaving the pink cloth; eyes are closed –– representing going ‘within’ to connect with their creative and playful inner child. At the end of the room, a moving image piece intertwines these portraits with three mothers who creatively and playfully explore the pink cloth with their children, the moving image is accompanied by an immersing and grounding soundtrack called ‘For you’ created by Diana Yukawa. The installation is layered with various visual materiality –– creating an inner landscape that allows the viewer to be in the ‘here and now’, to reach within to connect with their inner child. The process of collages on display also reflects the playfulness of working with the inner child; allowing a free approach to image making and sequencing, questioning how one may see the world through a child’s point of view. 

Red Thread [Rauður Þráður]

A Stroud-based collaborative photography and textile project from Icelandic photographer Emilie Sandy and Dutch Weaver Erna Janine, exploring different stories, expressions, and experiences of motherhood through intimate conceptual portraits of eleven women. In Icelandic, ‘Rauður Þráður’ - Red Thread, is a common expression, meaning "the main theme of a story”. Ties and connections of motherhood are explored through this body of work.

The exhibition features anonymous photographs, co-created by Emilie and the participants - where the women creatively utilise unique red, hand-woven pieces of cloth created by Janine to freely express their experiences of motherhood.

Weaving is an ancient technique typically performed by women, to create and provide cloth to dress their families with. Weaving was often a group activity, which would be accompanied by sharing stories and songs. It is also connected to various mythologies: The Tapestry of Life and The Threads of Destiny. The symbolic presence of the cloth in the photographs was used to inspire the sharing of stories. Cloth can both hide and reveal, protect and constrain, wrap wounds or carry loads. 

The photographic sessions enabled both the subjects and Emilie, to share their experiences, within a safe creative space. By excluding their faces, the participants were inspired to become completely open and honest in front of the camera. Many women are self-conscious of their bodies, which are an ever-changing landscape, shaped by pregnancy, motherhood, and the passage of time. Bodies that can create life and carry the legacy of our mothers and grandmothers. The creative sessions of this project encouraged a sharing of motherhood stories, creating an open platform to explore the role of a mother, of all our mothers, and motherless mothers.

The images represent women and motherhood; the cloth (almost tribal) symbolising a tribe of women surrounded by ancient wisdom and reclaiming the power to be free. Expressing their unique and personal journeys, through a collaborative and performative photographic process.

Branding, design, and exhibition design by SAMA CREATIVES

Seni [Transition] is a series of images that celebrate mother and child connections. Three mothers: Cassie, Diana, and Emily - all from a Japanese heritage - are photographed, and filmed, with their children intertwined within large pieces of hand-woven, lightweight cloth (created using the traditional Japanese Saori philosophy) expressively and playfully.

The philosophy of Saori promotes a freestyle way of weaving; encouraging expression through individual hand-crafted cloths and promoting uniqueness through natural irregularities in the weave. The large pieces of fabric produced are fine, lightweight, and hand-crafted from silk: a beautiful dressing that resembles the fluidity, delicateness, and strength of human connections. The images, and video, are almost cocoon-like - but with playful movement - representing connectivity, freedom, and caring. 

When installed: The video of the mothers and children projected onto draping cloth invites the viewer to immerse themselves in the experience of play. Accompanied by Diana's music; emotional sound, visuals, and touch echo the innocence and beauty of mother and child.

The playfulness of the interactions of the Mothers and their children highlights the importance of allowing our dependants to creatively express themselves naturally - to break away from the rules and restrictions applied to us by society that quite often hinder the natural development we naturally create from natural play and instinctive creativity.

As a parentless parent, I often question my parenting. Society offers a plethora of advice in various forms on how to parent, and with mine no longer around to seek the simplest advice from, I have sought views from other Mothers. 

M is for Mothers explores honest reflections of women, through personal journals and documentary photography; capturing individual happiness, sadness, despair, uncertainty, the ‘mundane’, and more.

Throughout this exploration, I have built a trusting relationship with each Mother that allows me the freedom to observe their environments in search of moments and objects that I feel represent what family life entails. The process is participatory and therapeutic in nature - allowing the Mother and myself to reflect on what has been captured - and opening up the opportunity to talk openly about motherhood. 

I have had the privilege to share some very intimate and personal moments with the Mothers: I have worked with Emily since the beginning of her first pregnancy and photographed her second baby at just two hours old. I immediately identified with the scene at the maternity ward: an overnight bag filled with the items made in preparation, big granny pants, and enormous sanitary towels. 

Entering the bathroom, I was transported back in time to when I too soaked in the bath after giving birth to our first child — feeling exhausted and relieved to be cleansed and resting my body. A beautiful, natural, juxtaposition with this peaceful state of mind surrounded by the seemingly brutal aftermath of birth: small pools of blood and trails of spotting leading to the bath.

We all have some kind of pre-conceived ideas of what parenthood may look like, or how it works — to some, a child having a tantrum can be deemed as naughty behavior, whereas it is merely a part of the child’s cognitive and behavioral development, and perfectly normal. My image of Sienna mid-tantrum, for example, is an attempt to share a glimpse of the reality of these significant stages of parenthood - to offer reassurance to both existing parents and parents-to-be.

Ultimately, the project aims to offer a truthful insight into the lives and personal feelings of eleven Mothers. It brings with it an open awareness of different aspects of the parenting journey that can benefit many.

A Mothers Gaze encapsulates eleven mothers - who all attended a pregnancy and baby yoga class - through a series of portraits throughout a specific period. Each mother is represented in a triptych series holding a particular yoga position: whilst pregnant; with their newborn; and with their child at the age of two.  

At first, you can see the mothers concentrating hard to perfect their yoga pose during pregnancy; holding an air of slight apprehension of the unknown - the homogeneous thoughts of every expectant mother. 

As they progress to the second portrait - with their newborn - we witness a new aspect of the mothers’ character; a transformation has taken place, another dimension added to their self. 

It is in the third portrait - when the mothers are trying to perfect yoga poses alongside their toddlers - that we see a significant change: capturing a mix of parental ‘control’, alongside parental ‘defeat’; creating an paradigm of what motherhood can entail. The viewer does not see behind the image; the chaos, the coaxing, the bribing to show this one moment; this one moment in time, capturing the beginnings of the child’s personality developing - playfulness, interaction, and innocence - alongside glimpses of a developing mother and child connection. 

A Mothers Gaze's core message addresses the significant issue of mental health with new mothers; and how exercise, social groups, interaction, and support can have huge positive effects on the growth of the mind and body. In environments like this, conversation happens, and experiences are discussed and shared; all enabling reinforcement of parental ideas, and that we are ‘not alone’ when being a mum gets hard.

The three-year journey - for the eleven mothers and myself - has been therapeutic; helping to build, and establish, a trusting relationship with one another that has led us to capture key transformational moments of their new parenting adventure.

A collaborative project with Gillian Holmes - Antenatal and Postnatal Yoga Teacher and NCT Practitioner

'The public display of grief allows each individual to access their own losses.' Darian Leader

I lost my dad to a brain tumor. 

Four months later I found my mum dead on her living room floor.

I Found A Small Lemon Tree is an accumulation of images and diary extracts I recorded throughout my dad’s terminal illness and inevitable death. It was never the intention to use these images to create a book, but 10 years on I have felt the need to reflect on this time and show the raw reality of precious time spent with my deteriorating, but strong-minded dad; and my mum – who struggled to cope with his illness. 

It was a difficult and emotionally complicated phase in my life - my role as a daughter took on another level; meeting my dad’s needs whilst continuing to attend to my mum’s fragility. Creating this book has enabled me to explore the world of loss and grief creatively. 

At the time, I did not plan a specific outcome, or use, for the images. They were predominately captured on my iPhone; the ease of accessibility enabled a quick and discreet approach to documenting our stories.

Photography has been my therapy, the camera allowing me to detach from the reality I was facing. As well as a daughter and carer - I became the recorder. 

Today; these sensitive - and poignant - images have allowed me to reflect, reminding me of the importance of present human connections.

Warning: There may be some upsetting content concerning death within the narrative.

For more information on projects relating to Grief, visit Picture My Grief