Festival of Hope, an exhibition of 231 photographs at St James Church in Clapham Park, is part of the broader programme, Hope 2020, by local churches.
Curated by local photographer Jim Grover, creator of the acclaimed photo-stories Windrush: Portrait of a Generation, the show consists of photos taken by ordinary members of the community, by pupils at Iqra primary school, visitors to the Ace of Clubs homeless centre, and by Jim himself.
Most of them were shot on mobile phones by people who were asked to send in images which in some way portrayed hope or hopefulness.
In Jim’s words, it was about “democratising the creative process and establishing the church as a community space”. The result is an extraordinary variety of images – portraits, landscapes, wildlife, and people at play, work and rest.
It includes lively action shots alongside intimate moments, community traditions and scenes of modern urban life.
It was a conscious choice not to caption the photos so as to give the viewer the freedom to find their own hope in the image. This is a great example of community art.
Festival of Hope runs until Saturday 21 March in St James Church, Park Hill, SW4 9PB. Admission is free (including free refreshments). Open daily from 11am – 7pm
