In June of 2006 I was traveling in India when I went to Tamil Nadu to do some voluntary work in the rural village of Vengadampatty. I worked for 'TRUST' (Thirumaran Rural Upliftment Stable Trust) for two months. 'TRUST' works tirelessly in various social projects for the benefit of the local community, it also runs the 'James Lightfoot children home' which cares for thirty children most of whom were orphaned due to losing their families in the Tsunami of December 2004.
Read more about TRUST at: http://www.trustindia.co.uk
During my time in Vengadampatty I started the Heart Prints photography project with the children. Heart prints photography project is very much a project about the children, by the children and for the children. After some lessons in the basics of photography they were given their own ’single use’ Fuji cameras and asked to take pictures of the things that are important to them. What is in their heart ?
I wanted to give the children an opportunity to express themselves using a new and exciting medium. I wanted them to be given the responsibility of having their own cameras and show them that I trusted in their abilities. I wanted them to have fun but also take the project seriously. I hoped that they would feel a sense of discovery by asking them to think about the things that matter to them as unique individuals. I also saw the project as a therapeutic exercise to help them through their massive personal traumas.
I asked the children to photograph the things that are important to them, allowing them the scope to interpret this theme freely. I didn’t want to constrain their ideas or imaginations by making it more specific. I was also aware that I should not influence them by giving them examples of things they could photograph. The project was to be very much their own, once they had their instructions and cameras it was in their hands. I realized that this would offer a wide range of results and understandings but I hoped for serendipity. I believed that the best way to see through their minds eye was to let them use their cameras within their normal lives and environment. I wanted them to click away spontaneously without rigid rules or formalities.
I was asking a lot of the children. This type of project was very unusual in India but they did not question it. The children did a wonderful job. I was stunned by their work and very proud of the way they all responded to the project. They gave it all the attention and consideration I could have asked for.
We held the Heart Prints exhibition in the children's home on July 23rd and it was a huge success. Displayed on saris, hanging from the walls were the children's three best pictures, chosen by them, enlarged and mounted along side a portrait of them. They also wrote extremely moving comments to accompany their photos. For example, Jeyaganth wrote next to his photo of a single bird perched on a wire “Even though I am left alone in this world I will try my level best to come up in my life.†All the children invited their friends along and snacks and drinks were provided. It was a very good turn out and the local press came to film and take interviews. It was probably the proudest day of my life. It was an absolute pleasure working with such wonderful children. A photograph acts as a permanent reminder to a time and place. I will always look at the photographs produced in the project with fond memories of a brilliant experience and keep each child close to my own heart.
All of the photographs you see here are of the process of the project. You can see how much happiness it created in the faces of all those involved. However, I also want the work that the children produced to be seen. The child can show us with their pictures that there is beauty all around us. Everywhere something amazing exists, we as adults, perhaps forget how to see the world with this innocence. What may appear as nothing of importance to you or I might be considered as incredible to a child. The Children from the James Lightfoot children Home in particular do not have a great deal to call their own yet this allows them to recognize more clearly what really matters in life; their friends and the people they love, the security of their home, their food, clothes and nature. Therefore I believe that we can learn a lot about our own values from the children and their photographs.
I am now aiming to create a book about the project and publish the children's work along with the story of Heart prints. All the profit made will go directly back to the 'James Lightfoot Children Home'. My dream is to raise enough money to buy the children some permanent cameras and equipment so that they can maintain their interest and continue expressing themselves through photography. The Heart Prints project was only made possible by the kind donations and contributions of its sponsors and donors but it now needs more support to reach its next stage.
I am appealing to anyone who would like to contribute to the continuation of the Heart Prints Photography Project, who is interested in its publication, has a gallery space, or for any more information to contact me here or at:
[email protected] and Love,
JAGO Neal (global coordinator)
