Kingsmead Eyes, a project by photographer Gideon Mendel, showcases pictures captured by Kingsmead School pupils who were given cameras to capture their everyday lives.
The students of the project are all aged around ten years, and live or lived in the Kingsmead Estate.
“ The Kingsmead estate in the London borough of Hackney has an unwelcome notoriety – it was the backdrop for a paedophile killing in the 1980s and has since become synonymous with crime and urban decay. But slowly, slowly, things are changing. Kingsmead primary school, which serves the children on the 1930s estate, is thriving. Its pupils are achieving above the national average, despite coming from some of the most deprived families in the country – 95% are from ethnic minorities, their origins in 46 countries. ”
There are some great images, I think that some of them are unique to a child’s view – they have managed to capture personal moments which might be more difficult for an adult to achieve simply because the children are so constantly ignored or overlooked where subjects might be more self concious of an older, and potentially judgemental photographer.
Read the Guardian article, with exceprts about some of the children.
View a video of some of the images with introductions from the students.