Snapshots from Artbox London

Last month, I had the opportunity to visit Artbox London and take some photos. Artbox is an amazing social enterprise that provides art workshops to people with learning disabilities and autism. It also helps them get around the city and build confidence in public spaces by taking them on trips to art galleries and museums. And finally, Artbox organises exhibitions for their artists where they get to sell their artwork and make an income from their skills.

What was I doing there?

As part of my work at EVPA, I went there with a cameraman and an assistant from Altitude Agency to produce a video about Artbox, and how a funder like the School for Social Entrepreneurs can support such organisation in becoming more sustainable. I interviewed Chris –one of Artbox’s artist and Madeline –the founder of Artbox. We filmed and photographed an exhibition and a workshop, meeting with a few artists, each with their own personalities, talent and style.

The Exhibition (day 1)

The exhibition was full! It was set in Artbox’s studio and quite a few pieces sold! The artists were there too so that they get to meet with the visitors and tell their stories.

The Workshop (day 2)

The day after, we filmed one of their regular art workshops. There were about six artists, all supported by Artbox’s volunteers. The volunteers are there to guide the artists -if needed. They propose a theme and make suggestions of format (collage, painting, drawing etc.). Chris told us it’s very helpful for him to prevent artist’s block and he particularly enjoys working with the staff. We could indeed see the complicity between the volunteers and the artists, and between some artists as well. There was a lot of laughter and excitment –most artists were very enthusiastic at the idea of being filmed and showed us the art they produce. It was impossible to get out of there without feeling happy and energised, as well as both inspired and impressed by the artists and the work the Artbox’s team does there.

Camera gear used

For these two days I brought my Fujifilm X100F and X-T2 with the 35mm f1.4. It was just great to get both some portrait shots and some wider shots to capture the atmosphere. The main purpose of our visit was the film, so we focused on the interviews and Fabrizio, the cameraman spent a lot of time filming details in the studio. The video should be published either in December or January. I really look forward to seeing the result!

 

For more information about Artbox, visit their website: www.artboxlondon.org

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