You have been invited to take part in Love Thy Neighbour, a project by artist Simon Bray which celebrates our connection to one another through a chain of photographic portraits.
The previous person in the chain has selected you to have your portrait taken because you have shown them kindness.
After you’ve had your portrait taken it is up to you to invite someone else to continue the chain. This could be someone who has helped you, cared for you, been kind, supportive, encouraging, listened, loved or inspired you. It could be someone who has treated you with compassion, patience or thoughtfulness or simply been gracious and friendly. It can be someone that you look up to, someone whose efforts you feel may otherwise go unnoticed or someone who may feel underrepresented and you feel should be included.
Selecting someone is an act of acknowledgement and appreciation for the impact that they have had on your life. Beyond that, you don’t need to justify or explain your selection to anyone, but if you’d like to share the story of what connects you I would love to hear it.
Love Thy Neighbour is a simple and beautiful way of acknowledging the things that bring us together. It will visualise our inherent reliance upon one another and demonstrate that we are not alone.
By agreeing to take part in the project you give consent for any images created as part of the process to be published and shared in direct relationship to the project, through print, online and social media by the artist and third parties associated with the project. Any usage beyond this will be discussed beforehand. In return for your participation, I will happily send you digital versions of the images for you to use at your discretion.
You can contact me at any point during the process to ask questions: simonj.bray@gmail.com
Simon Bray is an artist and designer based in Hampshire who utilises photography, text and audio through collaborations with artists and participants to explore the ways in which we are connected to one another.
His project Loved&Lost invites participants to explore their experience of loss through restaging a family photograph and recording an interview. It has been presented in galleries across the UK and featured on The One Show and BBC Breakfast TV, reaching an audience of over 10 million. In 2020, Simon was commissioned by The Guardian to make a series of stories with participants who lost family members due to the coronavirus pandemic.
His latest book, ‘Dear Kairos’, explores the Ancient Greek notions of time, inviting the viewer to consider the linear Kronos and the more serendipitous Kairos. It recently won the FE+SK Book Award 2023 and was nominated for the Arles de Rencontres Prix du Livre 2023.
He has previously worked as creative producer with photographer Martin Parr. He has also run photography workshops with a range of participants including youth groups and prisoners, encouraging those who have never had access to a camera to explore the connection between their internal and external worlds through image making, resulting in an exhibition of the participants work.
His work has been shown at Manchester International Festival, The Whitworth, Southbank Centre, Open Eye Gallery, Brighton Photo Biennial, The Guardian, British Journal of Photography and BBC In Pictures.