Re-evaluating .
You may or may not be aware that I have been commissioned by Wormley & Turnford Big local to produce a body of work which engages and captures some of the values, ideas and people of Wormley & turnford.

I proposed the project and contacted… talked to and photographed a number of people running up to February Half term where I displayed some of the images as a start to the project, which became a lot bigger in idea then I had first thought.

I was first commissioned to run an engagement cafe, then an arts project and now I think its one and the same. What we need here, is to reach out and find the faces and voices of Wormley who wouldn’t normally be seen or heard in this overwhelming change we want to create.

I’ve thought A LOT about privilege recently.
How I am even able to take on a project like this, living at home with a small budget and a bike to ride around in as I don’t have to go too far for work, or look after a child or family or house or rent right now, I don’t need that much.

I am from Cheshunt and I was brought up to appreciate what we have. I am the 2nd eldest… 1 of 6 who never knew about real struggle or how much our parents had really worked to get us by , you pass it by when your young, we always had enough.
I learnt about struggle when I ventured out on my own to university; having to work throughout my education . Having to use overdrafts and borrow money at times. But always knowing I could come back to my home if I wanted to.
This is my reality. There is so much more.

For me, I see a need for the voices and the communities I don’t know to be seen and be heard; now; before we push them further in to the ‘CHANGE’ we keep shouting about, without really listening to them. Its just showing them that things CAN change giving a little idea that people WILL LISTEN!
What is change; without the input of communities we don’t know.

This is me blabbing on about how I realize I have the time and the patience to find people, families and stories. Its about reaching out showing whats possible and then maybe they’ll be the next ones to show others.
Its not a rush. This might be a long old process .

If your reading this and thinking…. ‘I LIVE IN WORMLEY OR TURNFORD’ We’ll get in touch.

If your thinking ‘I DON’T LIVE IN WORMLEY OR TURNFORD’ we’ll I’d say you might be interested… you might like photography & film. GET IN TOUCH.

See I can get stuck in my Art school brain of ‘lets get conceptual ‘ and I love to think I have a bit of un-ordinary about my approach to life and thats why I think so much about continuing projects. because they might be a bit too much sometimes, a bit indulgent and not accessible.
But the simples of it is that we need to talk to the people on the ground.
Those who want change but haven’t had their voices heard.
Those who have ideas and just need a bit of persuading.
Those who want to be a part of something, they may not know their interested in.

Its experimentation, listening, thinking and doing. ACTION. LETS TAKE ACTION.
So here follow me @rosannamckenna and @theresvaluehere

Images from my small exhibition
Feb 16th 2018
‘There’s Value Here!’
Rosanna Mckenna