Project gives snapshot of life through client eyes: Breakthrough Winter 2004

Since last summer, the Executive Boardroom at the Queen Street site has been the home of a photography exhibit called Photo Idea. Research Analyst Hesther Sims came up with the idea for the exhibit, explaining the project arose out of her enthusiasm for photography combined with stories she heard from clients about their everyday lives. "It struck me that a lot of their experiences, the stories they tell themselves, may be hidden from view, and are perhaps 'underexposed' in the outside world," she says.

A student herself, enrolled in the Still Photography certificate program at Ryerson University, Hesther spoke with some of her clients at the MAPS Clinic about participating in a photography project. She was greeted with an enthusiastic response. Clients were asked to capture life from their perspective, "which likely differs from the one we focus on in clinical practice," Hesther explains.

In total, six participants were given disposable cameras with a choice of either black and white or colour film. The assignment: to fill one roll with pictures of persons, places or things they dislike and one roll with persons, places or things that they liked resulted in lots of mesmerizing art. "The focus was not primarily on making 'beautiful' pictures but rather on giving us a glimpse into the participant's view of the world," says Hesther. Kathy, a participant in the project says: "I took pictures of things that wouldn't mean anything to anyone else but were meaningful to me; for instance my street is something that makes me anxious, but you can't tell from a picture of it."

Photography was an obvious choice of medium for the project. Besides Hesther's love for it, it was a method of creative expression requiring little technical training yet allowed for the display of a very personal perspective. " I'm glad to have had the opportunity to contribute," adds Kathy: "It has encouraged me to come out with other creative things such as my writing and poetry." Another participant, Leonard, says: "It gave me my own initiative."

The project did not focus on issues such as treatment, stigma, or the position of consumers and survivors in society, but rather on "enabling us to gain some insight into these themes insofar as they play a role in the participants' 'likes' or 'dislikes'," as Hesther explains.

Overall, it was a positive experience for all clients involved. "It made me able to express myself through the camera; expressing the thinking process of the subconscious and expressing my thinking towards life," observes Leonard. "I thought it was very uplifting! I felt free to let my folly take place on film."

Photo Idea currently has four pictures on display in the Executive Boardroom at the Queen Street site. An additional 16 photos will be displayed in Unit 4.2 after its renovation has been completed. Keep posted for further information on this unique project in the upcoming months.