Fast Forward Collective

Fast Forward is a research project dedicated to promoting and engaging with women and non-binary individuals in photography worldwide. The project has played a significant role in highlighting the work of women photographers and challenging the established canons in the world of photography.

Anna Fox is one of the most acclaimed contemporary British photographers and is Professor of Photography at the University for the Creative Arts where she currently holds an AHRC Impact Award for the project Fast Forward Women in Photography. Fox’s solo shows have been seen at Photographer’s Gallery, London and Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago. Her work has been included in multiple well renowned international group shows.

Putting Ourselves in the Picture

In 2021 Professor of Photography Anna Fox was awarded an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Engagement Fellowship by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, part of the UK Research Initiative. This Fellowship builds on the Fast Forward initiative and has enabled the pioneering project Putting Ourselves in the Picture supporting a community of marginalized women and non-binary people in collaboration with five organisations recognised for their influential endeavours:

Autograph ABP; Impressions Gallery, Bradford; National Galleries of Scotland; Women for Refugee Women and Work Show Grow.

Through a series of innovative workshops and mentorship activities organised by the partners this project has developed the skills, knowledge of photography and confidences of the participants. The resulting outputs are set to educate us all by increasing awareness of women’s unheard life stories using photography as a tool of empowerment and as a story-telling practice.

The project participants Ceecee, Rella, Rhody, Miya, Precious, Raolat, Phim, Leonelle, Linda, Nwanyi, Lovelin, Hannah, Grace, Maureen, Ana, Maryam, Sylvie, Taraneh, Elham, Manar, Vicky, and Josiane have all made work that opens our eyes, enthuses our ideas and crushes stereotypes. Putting Ourselves in the Picture confronts gender discrimination and the marginalisation of women in our societies.

Outcome

A book Putting Ourselves In The Picture

Published Trolley Books, edited by Anna Fox and Maria Kapajeva, designed by Sarah Boris, an essay is written by Anna Fox and Maria Kapajeva and edited by Anne Lyden, Anne McNeill, Bindi Vora, Elizabeth Ransom and Natasha Caruana.

A series of podcasts

In collaboration with Social Broadcasts, Fast Forward have produced the Putting Ourselves in The Picture podcast series of 6 episodes, which was hosted by Anna Fox and Maria Kapajeva.

This series focuses on conversations around the Fast Forward Manifesto for increased involvement of women in photography concerned with improving inclusivity and diversity in photography. It also features discussions about the project Putting Ourselves in The Picture created with a group of partner organisations, participants and other photography professionals.

A series of short films

A series of short films have been produced by Fast Forward in partnership with the filmmakers Laura Sims and Sarah Jeans, funded through Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Engagement Fellowship by AHRC/UKRI. The short films are part of a bigger project Putting Ourselves in The Picture and the films are made with some of the participants of the project. They aim to highlight the experiences of the participants through the project and to give an insight into what the women who took part in the project wanted to tell.

Film production team: Laura Sims (Director), Sarah Jeans (Producer), Anne Parisio (Director of Photography), Christine-Lloyd Fitt (Camera Person), Arusik Nanyan (Composer) and James Wright (Sound Editor).