A new heritage-lottery funded exhibition opens in Peckham next week, called the Peckham History Project.
On display are a collection of film and street photography taken by young people aged between 11 and 25, who interviewed local residents, older people in the community, and market traders to document Peckham’s past, present and future.
The work gives a snapshot of how Peckham’s demographics and environment have changed over the years, and includes footage taken during the aftermath of the August riots.
The project was funded by a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, and has been managed by Peckham-based charity COVO Connecting Voices. Running for a year, the project has now trained 20 young people in a variety of media skills and oral history techniques, with help from the Oral History Society.
Talking about the project, Esnain Yunis who's 15 and from Peckham said, “I spent my time taking pictures and interviewing people and it gave me a chance to understand just how complicated and vibrant Peckham is. I feel a lot more confident about myself and Peckham now.”
The Peckham History Project is on at The Sassoon Gallery, 213 Blenheim Grove, London, SE15 from 24 to 30 October. The gallery is open from 12 noon to 6pm. Visit www.covo.org.uk or www.thesassoongallery.co.uk for more information. Can't make it to the gallery? Check out some of the work on www.peckhamstories.com now.
Photo by Peckham History Project on flickr
