ACTive NGOs Brighton was proud to attend the launch of Whitehawk, Volume 1, an exhibition of documentary photography taken by local residents Lisa Pettitt and Sharon Scaife and organised by Curtis James.
The exhibition was the culmination of a year-long documentary process and aimed to tell diverse, inside stories about Whitehawk: on death and life, housing, (extended) family and chicken pie.
Whitehawk is an estate originally developed by Brighton Council between 1933 and 1937, and added to in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Lisa has lived in the area since 1997 and Sharon since 2009. They had no formal photography experience until a year ago. Curtis grew up on the Bristol Estate and went to school in Whitehawk in the 1980s.
Curtis says: “I grew up in Whitehawk and this exhibition has been in the making since I left 26 years ago. I want people and policy-makers to see Whitehawk through Lisa and Sharon’s eyes, rather than through indices of deprivation or negative news stories.”
For ACTive NGOs Project Coordinator, Tom Goodridge, this represented “a prime example of a community asset [Crew Club] hosting an event that challenges the one-sided narrative of Whitehawk and BN2 5 and does so without any municipal support, financial or otherwise. This evening felt special, with many visiting not just the Crew Club, but the whole neighbourhood for the very first time and they are left with their perceptions of this community altered and positively challenged. The captivating work of Lisa, Sharon & Curtis presented in Whitehawk: Vol 1clearly demonstrates that this community are the experts in telling their own story and rather than municipal figures speaking on the community’s behalf, there should always be space prioritised for community members to express their lived experience.”
The exhibition has made a strong impact locally and Lisa has already been offered some unconditional funding to host a community chicken pie event this summer.
The exhibition was free to attend and took place in the beating heart of Whitehawk, the Crew Club (started in 1999 by Lorraine and Darren Snow in response to the fatal stabbing of a 16 year-old on the Whitehawk estate). The exhibition ran from Wednesday 12th June to Saturday 15th June.
The exhibition was the first of a series of planned Whitehawk Volumes – community exhibitions/publications by, of and for the people of Whitehawk. Whitehawk, Volume 1 is funded by Arts Council England. For more information or to get involved in the forthcoming Whitehawk, Volume 2, please contact Curtis James at info@whitehawkvolumes.org.
Article prepared by Tom Goodridge
Photos by Curtis James
