Originally posted by Shy Burnham on
Facebook at Shy B Photography
Tuesday, 25, October 2022

'Women in Uniform' - Lucy Sheen - https://mailchi.mp/.../women-in-uniform-lucy-sheen-actor...

Hi all!

Thank you so much for your continuing support for my Arts Council England National Lottery funded photography project 'Women in Uniform!'

Introducing the utterly compelling actor, writer, filmmaker and advocate, Actor_Lucy Sheen- 周麗端. A tour-de-force on the stage and screen Lucy has worked with some of the biggest names in British acting, such as Dame Helen Mirren and Sir Ian Holm and has performed at the Bristol Old Vic and the Royal Shakespeare Company to name but a few big name venues. Lucy offers a quiet gravitas in person as well as in her performances. As well as that she is a passionate advocate and activist for South and East-Asian representation in UK culture - in the theatre, on screen, on and off stage and in front of and behind the camera. Her activism in this field led her to become one of the founding members of BEATS.

What really strikes me about Lucy is that she does not rest on her laurels. The themes in her work chime with many people. She continues to champion diversity in her life and through her work, and to seek equal representation without compromising her identity or integrity. She speaks so eloquently about how important it is as a woman from a global majority community to find strength in numbers; to find a tribe, a community, who share the same values, the common denominator of which is unifying and which allows us to forge ahead, together. We are more than just one, we are many.

It is my absolute privilege to feature her in my project.

Please look out for more exclusive excerpts over the coming months. We are The Celestials. We are Women in Uniform.

I'm still looking for more participants!

#womeninuniform #baha #haworthartgallery

#photography

Just to recap:

As a female photographer of South Asian heritage, I'm somewhat of a rarity in my field I've found. Moreover women of colour, (Black, Asian, Hispanic, Arab - BAHA) who occupy senior roles in their respective industries are still lower in number than their white, male counterparts. And yet I know we exist because I exist.

To celebrate these hidden figures, I am inviting UK based BAHA women (including trans women of colour) to have their portraits shot for a mammoth project - 'Women in Uniform' - in a conceptual way that shares their individual truths, centring around what their 'uniform' means to them. A recorded Zoom conversation will take place first to discuss this and then I will arrange to take their portraits in my Shipley, West Yorkshire based studio, until February 2023. A groundbreaking national exhibition will launch on 8th March 2023 (International Women's Day) at the beautiful Haworth Art Gallery and Artist Studios in Accrington (they house the largest permanent collection of Tiffany glass outside of America!) and will run until the 14th May '23.

As a huge supporter of 'Black Lives Matter' and also marginalised and minority communities in general, 'Women in Uniform' is an organic progression in my own artistic evolution. To recap: WIU will celebrate the achievements of professional women of colour in industries where we are traditionally under-represented. In an effort to dismantle preconceived stereotypes and systemic, institutionalised racism and misogyny, I want to build a strong subject dialogue and discuss the complex interplay between women of colour and cultural sensitivities by inviting them to discuss the sub-text and role of their uniform and what/how it represents them individually. NB - the uniform doesn't have to be a set uniform as such, it can be 'civilian' clothes. Finally as a thank you, all participants will receive their own 10x8" signed and mounted gift portrait from the series.

Thank you so much to those of you who have already committed to participate, I look forward to sharing your portraits and your stories to the world. If you know of anyone who may be a suitable candidate for this project, please ask them to get in touch - [email protected] - thank you!

Keep up the good work.

Peace and love always,

Shy