Recovery
Photography exhibition 2003 In May 2003, Nigel Jones,
MP for Cheltenham and Parmijt Dhanda, MP for Gloucester, opened a unique
exhibition in Gloucestershire – Recovery Photography. The exhibition
was the culmination of a Gloucestershire Partnership Trust and GAMH
(Gloucestershire Association for Mental Health) project. This unique
and inspirational project was inspired by a Department of Health initiative
working to actively promote recovery as “the norm not the exception”.
In autumn 2002 the Department of Health sent out five disposable cameras
to all Mental Health Trusts to give to service users to capture images
of significant moments in their paths to recover. The Gloucestershire
Partnership NHS Trust decided to take the project further with the help
of Art Shape. The Trust was keen to share the photographic work, and
the personal experience expressed through it, in order to raise awareness
of mental health issues and people’s recovery from mental illness
with the general public as well as to family, friends, staff, patients
and mental health service users themselves.
Art Shape worked with the seven service users involved to carefully mount
and frame each set of photographs, with captions to produce their own
exhibition representing records of their very individual journeys, focusing
on something or someone that marked or helped in their own recoveries
throughout Gloucestershire. The photographers were involved in every
aspect of hosting the exhibition including selection and preparation
of photographs, promoting the exhibition, touring around local libraries
and installing the artwork in its permanent home - Wotton Lawn and Charlton
Lane Centres.
