Hillside

Hillside

Hillside is a local residence home for people over the age of 20 with disabilities in Camberley, Surrey. Built in 1977, the home is now under threat of closure with the possibility of upheaval looming ever closer. I wanted to understand the possible impact of this move on individuals living at Hillside.

Spending time with residents Ginnie, Phillip, Mary and Leander I wanted to explore their individual disabilities to understand how this change of location might affect them. I also needed to understand how they interact with their environments to realise the impact. I held creative workshops for residence exploring identity and links to their environment. I also joined them during their daily routines journeying to work, the library, the park etc. It is these routines and proximity to these local places that are so important.

I decided to use a variety of photographic formats to produce this work ranging from layered slides to projection, colour and black and white. Each method has been chosen in response to the character and identity of each person.

Hillside is currently still open, but has been in a possible state of transition since 2007. It is an ongoing journey for residence Ginnie, Phillip, Mary and Leander.