Vote for us!!
You may remember us announcing back in December that we have been shortlisted to win a day working with the photographer, Rankin. Well, the time has now come to cast your votes! Voting opens today (Tuesday 14 January) at 11am and closes in 2 weeks time on Tuesday 28 January. All you need to do is go to this link and follow the instructions to register your vote: http://www.culture24.org.uk/places-to-go/museums-at-night/art462295-Connect10-Vote-Rankin
If successful in the Connect 10 public vote, we will join with Rankin on a project which has its roots in a series of Victorian images in the Museum’s collection.
In the mid-19th century, society photographer Henry Hering photographed the faces of scores of Bethlem patients, examining the resulting images in order to detect the patients’ mental health conditions through their facial expressions and features. The Museum holds a strong and renowned collection of these images, showing patients before and after treatment and illustrating neatly the Victorian need for categorisation of patients.
Keeping the Hering collection firmly in mind, the Museum would work with Rankin to create a new permanent collection of portraits. The project would raise awareness of the extent of mental illness, helping to work away at prejudices by showing that it is not always clear from a person’s appearance that they are unwell.
The Museum plans to run a public workshop, during which participants would learn about the history of Bethlem and its collections and be photographed by Rankin. People would also have the opportunity to learn about the skills involved in portrait photography direct from one of the acknowledged masters of the craft.
While often seen as a celebrity photographer, with H.M. The Queen, Mikhail Gorbachev, David Bowie and Madonna among countless subjects, Rankin has been involved in a number of charitable projects, aimed at confronting preconceptions. His photos for Nike were part of a global campaign raising awareness about HIV/AIDS and his most recent major exhibition portrayed people with terminal illnesses.
So, why not take a minute to vote, and get your friends and family to vote for us too! http://www.culture24.org.uk/places-to-go/museums-at-night/art462295-Connect10-Vote-Rankin