News
In the Picture. CRE@TEing our portraits with Brian Homer
Young People reopened the Edge at CRE@TE Festival earlier this summer. There’s no better way to kick things off than with the CREATE Festival, and no better way to photo us in it than with Brian Homer, of Handsworth self-portrait fame (from nearly 50 years ago!).
The reopening is a new chapter, building on Friction’s community-focused art. CRE@TE festival ran many activities, and the photos taken by local photographer Lily-Mae Howell, Brian Homer and his team document it all beautifully. In Brian’s case the photography is all self-portrait. His team work hard to encourage and have some fun to get the best, honest photos, self-portraits.
Later this year we plan to work with young photographers, Lily and Brian Homer’s team. In this post all photography is with Brian Homer, but expect more fabulous collaborative photography and art at Friction over the coming months celebrating our reopening and the people who make Friction.
What is Handsworth Self portraits?
Brian Homer, along with fellow photographers Derek Bishton and John Reardon, set up a simple studio on a Handsworth street. They handed the shutter release to passers-by, giving them complete control over their own image. This was a radical change from traditional documentary photography, which often depicted inner-city life through a lens of deprivation. Instead, the Handsworth project let over 500 people represent themselves as they wished, creating a dignified and authentic visual record of a diverse Handsworth. community.
What is the CRE@TE Festival?
The CREATE Festival is a celebration of this spirit—a space for young people and artists to share, create, and connect. The self-portrait project is a key part of this vision, offering a chance for the community to see itself reflected in the arts, not as a subject for others, but as the author of its own story. It’s a testament to the idea that art can be a powerful tool for social change, and that the most compelling portraits are the ones we create ourselves.