The Story of Care Ambassador programme invited care-experienced young people to produce creative responses to the care system – as it was, as it is now. The Ambassadors attended workshops to reflect on the care system, and to develop skills in creative media.
Ben’s photo essay captures a diverse array of events across London, against which the Elizabeth line and streets of Wembley form the backdrop. He also documents his encounters with strangers, encapsulating the essence of transition – chance moments that soon slip away.
In one instance, Ben captured the shop front of a T-shirt printing shop on his local high street, but only after a chance conversation with the man who owned it. Ben and the print shop owner were both in a nearby corner shop when the man complimented Ben on his choice of bright clothes. After a conversation, Ben asked if he would take a picture of the shop. “I promised I’d give him a little framed photo”, says Ben.
Ben’s disposable camera stayed in his backpack throughout the duration of the project, and this meant he could readily document his day-to-day life. “Sometimes I’d go into my bag and the camera would be there and I’d be like, ‘oh, I guess this is a good moment for it’”. But sometimes the camera served as a motivation. “Some days, having the camera actually helped me get out of the house. I was like, ‘oh, I have to do this camera thing’”. Upon having the thought, he got ready to leave.
View Ben’s photo essay below. You can click on any of the images to enlarge them.
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Blowing out candles 31/08 -
Dad with Dinner 31/08 -
Chillin with Lego Bros -
Corner shop conversations -
Wembley Stadium stairs -
Wembley walkway -
Tube escalator -
Forest walkway -
Rainy day -
Hill top view of the city -
Hill top freedom
The Story of Care Ambassador programme is part of Coram’s Voices Through Time: The Story of Care programme, made possible by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Copyright © Coram. Coram licenses the Ambassadors’ photographs under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 (CC BY-NC).