30yrs of DIY Theatre – Telling our stories through photography.

photo: 2 people are looking with concentration at the preview screen of a large camera.

Thirty Profiles

Across a series of creative sessions, participants involved in the range of DIY activities are working with Visual Artist Audrey Albert to create a series of ‘Thirty Profiles’.

Creative sessions have been run with DIY’s Gamechangers, Emerging Leaders, Core Company, BUDS and our Visual Arts Sessions. DIY artists and leaders have explored how they want to represent themselves, to create images that reflect individual personalities and passions.

All the photos have now been taken. Members will choose their favourite images so Audrey can prepare them ready for the exhibition.

DIY’s Core Company and Gamechangers worked with Audrey in early June to decide how everything should be exhibited.

photo: we are looking over the shoulder of a woman with a big camera. She is holding it so that another woman can see the picture she has taken.

The process of creating the Thirty Profiles began by Audrey asking DIY Artists three questions:

  • How would you represent yourself as an artist using an action?
  • Where do you want to take the photo? Where do you feel safe and happy?
  • What else will you add to the picture to represent yourself as an artist Do you want props? What colours should we see?

photo: On the far right a person is leaning forward with a camera taking a photo. On the left a woman is sitting at a work table. She is holding a megaphone and a clip board. In front of her is a miniature scene with a blue car, a motorbike and other figures in a row.

I did a scene from Gone with the Wind. I was playing Clark Gable’s part and Amy did Vivienne Leigh’s part. She said “What am I going to do? Where am I going to go?” and I said “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn”. I just chose the photograph because I like watching the film”
David

photo: A room with 3 people. In the foreground a woman has her back to us whilst she takes a photo of the others. They are walking from right to left. There is a large piece of pink transparent fabric in front of their legs.

I did Jailhouse Rock. It’s good – it’s Elvis Presley.  I was singing”
Martin

photo: a room with a desk and 2 people. On the left a woman has her back to us. She is taking a photograph of a man. He is standing holding up something that looks like a microphone.

Clouds – Lights – Torch – Blackpool – Lights”
Anna

photo: A room with 2 people. In the foreground a woman has her back to us whilst she takes a photo of the other woman. This woman is standing infront of lots of strips of blue fabrid and holding up 2 oblong lights to her face.

I think I realised today whilst we were coming up with all the ideas and the process of working with photographs and images, that all of our photography processes so far have been very DIY as well. We just come into the space and have the ideas, discuss with everyone and then create something with what we have in the space. I feel that it’s been unconsciously and organically like that since we all started working together on photographs. So I think it’s very “on brand” that the process is very DIY for DIY”
Audrey

 

Find out more

'30 years' in big red and violet letters with 3 balloons on each side. Underneath written smaller '1994-2024'

Our thanks to the funders who are supporting the projects which will help us celebrate DIY’s 30th Birthday.

The 30 Portraits project is being funded through the ‘Whose Art, Whose Culture Fund’ – Managed by Salford CVS on behalf of Salford City Council; monies from the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund via Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

logo strip; 'Greater Manchester, Doing Things Differently', 'Powered by Levelling Up', 'Salford City Council', 'Funded by UK Government', Salford CVS, Making a difference in Salford'.