Us and Our Pictures

VENUE : 44AD artspace, BA1 1NN

27 May to 12 June - open 11am to 6pm daily

(6pm ‘til late on 27th May - 11am to 3pm on 12 June)

Bath Mind’s ‘Feel Good Photography’ group showcase how they use the creative capturing of moments to bolster their wellbeing and outlook. 'Us and our Pictures' is a snapshot, itself, of the 'Feel Good Photography' wellbeing group as a whole and of what we see and how we express ourselves individually. We each use photography to communicate the way in which we interpret our own life experience, coming together, as supportive peers, enabling and empowering each other.

Curated by Feel Good Photography - Bath Mind

Adrian Brettell - I took up photography around fifteen years ago, as an aid to battle depression. A few years ago I attended Bath Mind as a client. I received so much help that I wanted to give something back. As a result I became a Bath Mind volunteer which I have been doing for the last three years. I have been co-facilitating the Feel-Good Photography group for the last couple of years.

John Boy - I joined the photography group meeting new people and getting out and about in the community, taking photos and boosting my mood.

John Gordon - I got more involved with photography as it became easier to take photos digitally, over the last ten years or so. I find using a camera is at least as much a technical as it is a creative process, and I'm continually striving to improve my own picture taking skills. Variously, I photograph landscapes, architecture, street scenes and wildlife, more or less as scenarios present themselves. While I don't think that, as a photographer, I've any great ambitions left to fulfil, I probably haven't taken my best photographs yet.

Meryl Williams - I joined the Bath Mind 'Feel Good Photography' group to explore a latent interest and to get creative in a new way. I found a new sense of purpose, staying focused on the here and now with cares and worries forgotten for the duration of the group. I took a renewed pride in my creative work that was satisfying and fulfilling. Support I received from mentors, peers and friends was also very empowering.

Oli Findlay - I started photography during the 2020 lockdowns. I don't know what to say half the time and so making images can be an alternative way of getting my thoughts across. While in the company of Bath Mind's 'Feel Good Photography' group, I came across an old railway tunnel so long and twisty that the other end couldn't be seen. The photo I took sums up what I think many are thinking right now - the times ahead are uncertain and we don't know when light at the end will appear.

Paul Rimmer - The shared experience of this group, conversations, stories and our interpretations of the locations which we have visited have had a very welcoming influence on what I seek when taking a photograph. I find there to be something special in the sharing of a mutual, creative persuit, whilst also having those moments of solitude whist the picture is being taken.

Rebecca Timbrell - Photography, for me, is a hobby which I enjoy a lot, whether it’s capturing the world around me or the people around me and keeping those memories forever.