Impressions launches new exhibition (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Impressions launches new exhibition

8:49am Wednesday 11th March 2009 in

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An art gallery has come up with a “knockout” way of keeping repeat youth offenders focused.

Bradford’s Impressions Gallery has given some of its wall space to action-shots of Thai boxers snapped by a group of troubled teenagers.

The 15 to 18-year-olds, who are on an intensive supervision and surveillance programme, were invited to come up with their own works of art to form an exhibition called Knockout – and yesterday they went along as VIPs to see it for themselves at an official launch party.

The project involving Impressions, Bradford Youth Offending Team and crime-reduction charity Nacro was brought together by the city’s performing arts charity Kala Sangam.

The young people were shown how to use digital cameras and got inspiration from the Ladykillers photo exhibition of women boxers by James Pogson.

The next session took them to Bradford’s Thai Boxing club off Killinghall Road to take pictures and then it was up to experts at the gallery to choose the best images.

Impression’s education and learning manager Sarah Deane said the end-product had “surprised” everyone. She said: “The standard really surprised us. They weren’t afraid of being experimental. They stuck to the brief exactly and gave us what we wanted, capturing the actual movement of the boxers in the ring.

“We already work a lot with the community but Knockout has been such a big hit that we’ll be looking to work with young offenders again in the future.”

Nacro outreach support worker Pauline King said: “These are all young interrupted lives and now and again we find that by introducing them to the arts, to something they haven’t had chance to experience before, they tap into it. They find a way of expressing themselves positively, a kind of release and we get success.”

Knock-out is open to the public until Friday, April 3.

e-mail: kathie.griffiths@telegraphandargus.co.uk