Photofilm: Be Myself

The film does contain material that some people may find distressing.

Over the eight months I spent documenting the lives of homeless women in London, I came to understand that, for many, the chaos and trauma of homelessness is a symptom of much deeper problems, and almost always of lives shattered in childhood through abuse and neglect.  These were stories that my photos alone could not do full justice to – the words and recorded voices of the women themselves are at the heart of this project.

Few women who have experienced such traumatic childhoods are ready or even want to tell their stories. It’s just too personal, too painful. Lucy was different. Through the process of therapy she had started to confront her past in a brave attempt to build a future:

“I think I wouldn’t be able to sit here and talk with you if I hadn’t started the process, because I wouldn’t be able to be that honest about what’s happened and then say it without blame, just say it as fact, and how I see it.”  Lucy.

This is Lucy’s story. It’s not easy to watch but it offers hope.  And because her struggle sheds light on issues that so often go ignored, it needs to be heard.

This photofilm was first shown at the ‘Where from? Where now?’ exhibition, which was a culmination of the work from this project and ran from 14-18 November at gallery@oxo on London’s South Bank. Through photography, print, audio and film the exhibition explored the stories behind women’s homelessness through the words and reflections of 15 women. The other women’s stories, audio and photographs (as shown in the exhibition) can be found on the Women’s Stories section of this website.

A duckrabbit production

Photography & Audio: Georgina Cranston
Produced by: Benjamin Chesterton and Georgina Cranston
Music Score & Mixing by Joff Winks, www.musicforfilm.biz
Videography by Jaimie Gramston and Felix Clay

 

One Response to “Photofilm: Be Myself”

  1. […] On grief and pride: a photofilm from Georgina Cranston’s Where from? Where now?, a multimedia engagement with women who […]

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