London Art Fair Discussion - Ryan Crawford

Control of the Frame: Power, Representation & Identity in Photography- Ryan Crawford

Thanks to Pam Glew, I was able to attend London Art Fair where I went to a discussion about "Power, Representation & Identity in Photography", organised by PhotoVoice. The third panelist to voice their work was Ryan Crawford, made homeless at just sixteen. He spoke about his tough time sofa-surfing and sleeping on park benches, before moving to Nottingham, getting a room and being accepted onto an Mechanics college course.

 
This photograph, "Running out of fire, running out of time", shows him in a thermal blanket given to him by a youth centre. The focus being on the "fire" colour of the blanket showing the passion burning in himself to keep going, to stay alive. After a long time on the streets Ryan was able to move to Nottingham and get a place, although he still had finance issues and often found himself without heating. Thankfully, he then found a place he could call home with people he could rely on. 




While he was talking you could tell the strength of the emotion behind his photos. Photography seemed to be an escape, a sanity, during his hard times. I'm sure many can relate to this feeling, escapism and freedom in something you love. Blocking out the rest of the world, especially the bad. If not, you should try it. 

Peace out xo