Blog: March 2010 • Colin Hambrook

This month Colin Hambrook interviews Dada-Exchange Artist Advisor Lynn Weddle

It was great to record Lynn Weddle's story about her role as Dada-Exchange advisor. The Dada-Exchange programme supports the eight advisors currently in post, to provide others artists with opportunities to talk about their professional practice with peers. Lynn is the second artist I've interviewed, for a series I am carrying out over the coming months. Lynn talks about the benefits of the programme to her artistic practice.

“Being a mentor for the Dada-Exchange programme has been inspiring. Talking to other artists about ways they can push themselves gets you excited about being an artist. The way Dada-South goes about things is considered. They attempt to grapple with issues around labels, which can be daunting for lots of disabled people. Coming to terms with the ‘disabled’ label has opened doors, which have been of benefit to me. It’s about having confidence in what that label means and understanding that there are positive as well as negative sides to defining your artistic practice in that way."

"When you operate outside of the disability arts world it can be hard to find the strength to make issue-based work. Working with other disabled artists within Dada-Exchange, is empowering. It gives value to making work by encouraging a network of peer support."

"The Action Learning sets Dada-South organised as part of the programme gave us a real safe space for Dada-Exchange artists to question our artistic practice. We are all freelancers – mostly working in isolation – so this opportunity gave us the luxury of reflecting on our practice amongst colleagues. Ultimately this support in turn strengthens my work as an advisor to other artists who have signed up for the programme."

"My practice stems from experience of photographing myself; giving a voice to being ‘different’ It began when I was at Art College. It was a big revelation to find out I was dyslexic. I got a piece of paper saying “you’ve got a reading age of 9” - without any space to process the impact that it had."

"I went to the library to research what it meant. I had to face the challenge of realising I was dyslexic.  It was a starting point for turning the camera on myself. With Being Dyslexic I wanted to flip the formal labelling on its head and make photos that described how I felt about the challenges and barriers. I wanted to show people who weren’t dyslexic how it felt in a non-verbal way."

"In 2008 I began research as part of residency with the Four Corners Engage Explore programme. During my research I met a couple of photographers working in similar field. As a result I was asked to present an abstract paper on the Being Dyslexic project at a phototherapy and therapeutic photography conference in Turku, Finland in June 2008. The conference brought together people from all over the world. It was the first conference since the late 1970s, bringing together people who work with photography as a therapeutic tool. I wouldn’t have been able to attend this event if it wasn’t for the Dada Exchange professional development funding."

"It made me reflect on how my practice sits across several boundaries of fields within participatory and arts practice. I’d say that there are therapeutic benefits as a by-product of the work. It has been about changing my outlook by capturing situations in photography that have damaged self-perception."
"As a result of developments, more recently I’ve turned my camera on other people who relate to being ‘different’. I‘ve finished a series called Encounters at Core Arts which has been turned into a publication. It’s been part of a continuation of the Explore programme managed by Four Corners. "

"This work has fed into a project I am doing for an MA at University of Brighton. I am developing a photo practice that portrays people with hidden impairments. Part of this work involves producing an exhibition for July 2010. I am making work with 16-25 yr olds that reflects on how disability impacts on self image at this difficult stage in life."

"It is a continuation of a collaborative way of making self-portraits. Instead of the camera operator being in control I offer sitters a more open process in how they reveal themselves to the camera.  The process involves discussion between the photographer and sitter about lighting and conditions. Finally it gives the sitter control of when the shutter is pressed."

"My working title for the project is ‘Hidden.’ The MA show is planned for September at the University of Brighton Gallery, Grand Parade.  We are also looking into touring the group show to a Brighton venue as part of the Brighton Photofringe in October - November 2010 and at an East London venue as part of Photomonth in October 2010."

First image: 'Bell' from 'Being Dyslexic', 2003
Second image: 'Bonzo' from 'Encounters' with Core Arts, 2009