Face to Face
Working Internationally
We are increasingly becoming global citizens and the arts can offer a cultural bridge between cultures and communities. By creating and developing long term strategic partnerships with organisations and artists in other parts of the world to explore cultures, share experiences and learn from each other’s practice is a growing part of our programme.
We have established a long term partnership with Ensemble Creative an organisation based in Vietnam who help people and organisations understand, access and apply creativity to achieve and enhance their development goals.
This partnership started in 2007 when The Forge hosted a visit to the UK by Paul Zetter, Ensemble Creative, as part of the Inspiring Internationalists programme. We have developed a number of collaborative projects, training opportunities and international dialogues.
Face to Face was an exhibition of photographs taken by people with disabilities in Vietnam. Using a creative process the participants were encouraged to share their lives through photography. The project aimed to improve the communication skills, confidence and self esteem of the participants who are all members of disability support groups in Thanh Hoa.
The photographs are moving and beautiful and represent a very personal and honest shared expression of what it means to be young and disabled in Vietnam today.
The photographs were exhibited in Dorset, Newcastle and Durham.
“I have percieved that life is something that requires a lot of attention and consideration that cannot be sensed through vision alone, but with one’s full heart. A life is a story mixes with happiness and sorrow. I feel more grown up and mature. I can really sense the beauty of a picture. I have read so much from the eyes of those I’ve taken pictures of”. Phuong
“I am more confident and delighted as the camera helps me to understand what life really is. I am happy and no longer feel inferior about myself and with my fate. The camera has helped others around me to get to know me better”. Huong
“Now I can mix happily with others and I posess more confidence. I have enjoyed myself more than words can say”. Xuyen
“If there was no camera, these images would just flash past my eyes and my mind and vanish. It has served as my eyes to see life clearly in a world of diversity. It has helped me realize the true value of life and of other people with different fates”. Dung
This project was made possible by the support of Arts Council England’s Inspiring Internationalists programme.
