Traces of Us presents works by 13 artists who met through an online photography course, each distinct in style yet connected through a shared creative process.
Traces of Us began with a meeting. Across time zones, living rooms, studios, and kitchen tables, this group of thirteen photographers came together for an online workshop series run by photo collective The Emmas, bringing with them different histories, questions and ways of seeing.
What followed was a process of looking, making and looking again. The works in this exhibition do not attempt to resolve into a single narrative or aesthetic. Instead, they move outward in many directions. Some linger in quiet observation, others push toward abstraction, performance or personal storytelling. Each photographer approaches the medium differently, yet all are shaped by the same environment of support and exchange.
The workshops provided a framework for dialogue and development. Through collective reflection, participants were encouraged to test ideas, challenge assumptions and expand the boundaries of their practice. This was underpinned by a strong sense of trust and openness within the group, creating a space where risk-taking felt possible.
The process not only fostered artistic growth but a genuine sense of community, grounded in curiosity, generosity and a shared commitment to the photographic medium. In this shared process, photography functioned less as a fixed outcome and more as a way of thinking and communicating over time.
Traces of Us reflects this state of movement. The title evokes what is left behind in the process of change: marks of transition, fragments of encounter, and the unfinished. These works mark moments within a larger trajectory: artists discovering, refining and questioning their developing practice and, indeed, themselves.
Seen together, the images form a shifting landscape of perspectives. Connections appear not through similarity but through the threads of dialogue that run between them.
Artists Bio:
Traces of Us presents selected works by 13 artists who met through an online photography course, run by photography collective ‘The Emmas’, each distinct in style yet connected through a shared creative process.
Contact: If you have any questions regarding this exhibition, please email programming@stmargaretshouse.org.uk
Venue: The Chapel at St Margaret’s House, 21 Old Ford Road — E2 9PL
Access: We are working to make our Grade II listed building more accessible, but it will take some time. Please note that entry to the Chapel is not step-free. If you require access support (including our portable ramps) and/or access to an accessible toilet, please contact us on 020 8980 2092 or email programming@stmargaretshouse.org.uk so we can arrange this for you.
Opening Event: Friday 22nd May, 6.30-8.30pm
Exhibition: Saturday 23rd - Sunday 24th, 10am-4pm
Tickets for the Opening Event are free, but registration is essential