Project Hope

Rooftop Hope

Over the last few weeks I've started looking photographically and visually at the theme of Hope in my community and surroundings. The approach is twofold. Firstly I want to capture sources and places of hope that already exist, especially if perhaps they aren't always recognised as such. The second aim is to actively instigate and generate hope. I realise this second objective is quite a tall (and potentially arrogant!) order to set, but I really believe in it. 

Hope in a truck

So far the approach has been a literal one. I'm seeking to quite literally put the word HOPE into the mix around the place. So I'm setting off armed with a set of wooden letters that someone kindly carved for me for this exact purpose and I'm placing them around Bulawayo and photographing them in situ. There's something about actually seeing places in Bulawayo physically alongside, or through, the letters of the word HOPE that is exciting and encouraging. And while the idea is not necessarily ground-breaking (or especially subtle!) in approach, I'm finding getting on and doing it with fun and boldness to be a positive experience. More importantly of course it's the symbolism of the gesture that is meaningful.

In terms of how to achieve this second objective, the basic moto is the more creative the better! And I'm very much in the opening stages – I know there's plenty more creative ways to demonstrate and capture hope which I want to try out for myself but more importantly see others doing too.

Hope Over Bulawayo

Fabric of Hope

The bigger picture is that this be a truly collaborative endeavour and journey. So I'm getting the ball rolling myself so that it's not just theory I talk of, and I'm sharing with people who also carry and see the vision of a Bulawayo full of Hope. And in time I hope that it will also be something that others, who don't necessarily share that view at the moment,  can also engage and experiment with. And who knows what that may look like!

Add caption

These are some of the first images in the series that I have shot for the project.