New Photography exhibition showcases the lives of young people growing up in Rotherham.

A photography exhibition developed with an award-winning photographer and eight young people from Rotherham opened on Thursday 3 November in Rotherham and will run until late December.  

‘The stories we choose to tell’ is a collaboration between award-winning documentary photographer Rich Wiles and eight young people from Rotherham, who are all members of Rotherham Council’s Participation and Voice and Influence (Early Help) Drama Group which takes place at Dalton Children’s and Family Centre. 

The young participants used disposable cameras to capture images of their own lives and identity. Their work will be presented alongside a series of portraits captured by Wiles of the young people on location. 

Claire Haddon, Drama Group Leader at Dalton Family and Children’s Centre, said:  

‘This work raises issues around some of the complexities of growing up, within the context of identity and self, as seen through the eyes of a group of young people growing up in Rotherham.  

Given the pressures and constant bombardment via social media directed towards young people today, the group involved were initially cautious about what to photograph and how to ‘pose’ for the portraits. They soon began to realise that ‘portrait’ does not equate with a ‘selfie’ and they learnt that portraiture can also be a form of narrative in its own right.’ 

As part of the project the young people also successfully worked towards their Bronze Arts Awards, thanks to funding and support from Children’s Capital of Culture. The Bronze Arts Award is a nationally-recognised qualification awarded by Trinity College London. 

The exhibition is open to the public from Friday 4th November – Saturday 24th December. Riverside Gallery, Riverside House, Rotherham.