Shari Denson

Workshops

Shari is a qualified tutor, specialising in participatory photography projects.

Her last project, with MASH (Manchester Action on Street Health) brought together female sex workers to celebrate their beauty in a series of ambiguous portraits. The body of work created by the group was exhibited at the iconic Victoria Baths in Manchester in September 2018 under the title ‘Face to Face’. The positive feedback from the women involved was incredible, with one woman stating that the exhibition filled her with “a sense of pride and hope” after recently undergoing treatment for addiction issues.

The theme of portraiture can be challenge for many sex workers who want to remain anonymous to avoid being judged. For this project we decided to make the portraits ambiguous, which opened up a whole new realm of creativity. The women produced beautiful, sometimes dream-like images of each other, ultimately challenging the stigma and stereotyping surrounding sex-workers. The exhibition was co-produced, with participants fully involved in the hanging and curation of the work.  One of the women who had not had time to create an image gave us a poem she had written, that seemed to go perfectly with the image above, and was included in the exhibition.

The theme of portraiture can be challenge for many sex workers who want to remain anonymous to avoid being judged. For this project we decided to make the portraits ambiguous, which opened up a whole new realm of creativity. The women produced beautiful, sometimes dream-like images of each other, ultimately challenging the stigma and stereotyping surrounding sex-workers. The exhibition was co-produced, with participants fully involved in the hanging and curation of the work.  One of the women who had not had time to create an image gave us a poem she had written, that seemed to go perfectly with the image above, and was included in the exhibition.

If you are part of, or work with, a small community who would like to try out some photography as a way of boosting self-esteem, and confidence, or challenging stigma whilst creating wonderful images, get in touch.

Shari can tailor a project to fit your needs and budget.