As part of the new socially engaged photography network we are inviting producers and photographers working in the field to get together for discussing their current projects. These will be released bi-monthly and we are delighted to start our ‘A spotlight on’ series with Emma Case,  interviewed by our very own Head of Engagement, Liz Wewiora.

Liz: It would be great to hear a little bit more about yourself, your background and how you moved into this sort of photographic practice.

Emma: I am a photographer currently based in Birmingham, but relocating to Liverpool very soon!. My career has been quite varied but has always been within the arts. I came from a Drama background, mainly touring schools, performing and facilitating workshops on subjects such as sex education and healthy eating. Alongside acting I began to learn Sign Language and had various jobs within the Deaf community.. communication support, a support worker and also toured for two years with Deafinitely Theatre, a Deaf led theatre company. All of these jobs were built around collaboration and/or facilitation.. working with people to create an outcome together.

I moved into photography, shooting weddings and over the past 10 years my husband and I have shot over 300 weddings, have created and toured our workshop, ‘Welcome Home’ to over 200 photographers and have spoken about our work at various conferences across the world. We came to weddings at quite an exciting time. The industry was changing from the more traditional style of wedding photography we were used to. We built a strong relationship with our couples, they trusted us and we captured our weddings seeking out all the wonderful layers and moments. Our work is mainly documentary and we love to celebrate all parts of what makes a wedding.. the tradition, the ordinary, the humour, the familiar. We feel extremely fortunate with the relationship and the trust that our couples give us and also understand the legacy our photos are for that family. Although weddings are often perceived as a very specific type of photography work (and can be also viewed quite negatively), my practice.. how I see the world, my relationships, empathy.. it all has been wonderfully enriched by the work.

Liz: So how would say this then progressed into working with communities and social practice?

Emma: For the past 5 years, I have been working for Multistory, an arts organisation based in the Black Country. They have created wonderfully strong relationships over a long period of time and they bring in incredible artists to work with the community to produce high quality and engaging work.

With Multistory I have worked on various projects as Photographer and Producer, I’ve assisted other Photographers and I’ve been given opportunities to really get to know people in the community. It has really opened my eyes in terms of what is possible, working in a socially engaged way. Not just with how the project is made but also how and where it is shown.

Two years ago I attended a Multistory talk with Susan Meiselas about her project ‘A room of their own’ – working collaboratively with women living in a refuge, and she talked about the process, having a dialogue, creating space and ensuring the work is brought back and making sure the community is involved in every stage including the final outcomes. It was a bit of a lightbulb moment for me. I realised just how much I was missing this way of working and how important this process was for me. But more than that.. just how important my relationship with people and my core values and beliefs are to what I want to focus on with my work.

Liz: I know you have been busy working on a project here in Liverpool too, which has got a very particular community engaged in it! Do you want to tell us more about RED?

Emma: So RED started as a personal photography project about Liverpool FC fans, with my Dad being an ex-player for the club itself. Dad was in his early twenties whilst playing for Liverpool and looking back I find it hard to even begin to imagine what it was like for my parents.. winning the European cup, being on the open top bus travelling through the city in front of thousands of people. I was interested in how it felt to be there. But I wanted the fans to tell me.

To begin with it was a simple portrait project and there was no social engagement but as the project progressed I was being exposed to more of Multistory’s work, I was introduced to Grain Projects and then I found the Living Memory Project which is a community archive project, also based in the Black Country. And so RED, over time, evolved into something much bigger.

It’s now become a community archive and I have been collecting fan’s old photos, interviewing fans in their homes, I have started running workshops to share photos and stories and most recently gave disposable cameras to fans heading to Madrid for the Champions League final. I am currently working on a Crowdfunder and have spent the past six months contacting and meeting so many people, establishing partnerships and collaborations and hopefully the next phase is to have a space in Anfield, close to the football ground to run workshops and to exhibit some of the work.

What I am loving the most with RED is that with every step forward it is becoming more and more of a collaboration between me and the fans. It’s interesting as an artist to give up that control and be able to say ‘What do you think?, how should this develop?’ – and for them to give you an idea and then to be able to give them an opportunity to own that idea and produce it too. I feel excited about where it’s headed and the support, so far has been incredible. Hopefully, the next few months is where everything will be coming together so definitely watch this space!

Liz: So with all things Liverpool, you are also going to be starting a brand new project, literally next week in the area with ourselves, here at Open Eye Gallery. Do you want to tell us a little more about how you are feeling ahead of starting the new project, Clickmoor?

Emma: Yes! I’m starting with the group next week and I’m really excited to meet everyone but at the same time I’m actually quite nervous! Working collaboratively means that the project evolves through getting to know each other, trying things out and working together so you have to be able to walk in to the unknown and trust the discovery process.

What is wonderful is the luxury of spending time together and getting to know the group. With any project, be it drama, photography, whatever the medium, it’s so important to have the time to get to know the people you are working with, for you to build trust. Having that familiarity and to be able to explore and find out what is of value to them.

What I love about this way of working is the process itself is so rewarding but the outcome is often so much more creative. I have done a number of Polaroid based workshops with people of various ages and I am always blown away with what they create. You have a perception or an idea of the workshop but this can often be constrained to your own ideas or imagination so opening it out to others can give you much richer experience and result. With Clickmoor I’m looking forward to learning and discovering together and seeing where it takes us!