Throughout November 2014 the photo shoots for Picture in the Paper took place in central Bath. LOW PROFILE invited people in and around Bath who felt they belonged to or identified with 20 different groups ranging from Bee Keepers to Roller Derby Players.

We had the beautiful BRLSI as the venue for the photographs with a view overlooking Queen Square. The exterior of the building was decorated with banners and balloons and the inside was brimming with tea and cakes.

At each photo shoot the groups arrived and were greeted by a fantastic Picture in the Paper team who made up of ICIA staff, University of Bath students artists and of course LOW PROFILE. The team managed the photo shoots, keeping everything to time but also spoke to all the different people that came to take part. Some people came on their own and didn’t know anyone else, some people knew everyone in the room but everyone was welcome.

Liveaboard Boaters were by far the liveliest group. Over 50 people turned up for the photo shoot of all ages and with a range of dogs in tow. We were delighted to see that everyone we had previously met had also turned out to have their photo taken. The noise of talking and laughing was great and microphones were necessary once everyone needed to be in position.

Bell Ringers were full of useful advice on how to start it up as a hobby, where they practiced and traveled to. We found out that a few them  had been involved in Martin Creed’s Work No 1197, All the Bells in a Country Rung as Quickly and Loudly as Possible for Three Minutes which was commissioned as part of the Cultural Olympiad, so it wasn’t their first foray into contemporary art.

Some groups were more intimate; when the photo shoot for Chefs came around only one was able to attend. Phil from The Green Rocket Café had been mentioned by a lot of chefs we had spoken to and is Bath’s vegan chef superstar, so it didn’t matter that it was just him, he was the chef talked up by chefs! The subject of food was also at the fore when we met some Bath Beekeepers. They were fantastically knowledgeable about their craft and we had conversations that ranged from how killer bees had evolved to what changes the taste of honey.

The main things that struck the entire Picture in the Paper team was how excited people were to come together and celebrate something they loved enough to spend their spare time doing. They wanted to tell each other and us everything about it and indulge their passion.

All of the people who took part in the photo shoots had been invited to come to a VIP launch event and see the final images in February in the new ICIA Centre for the Arts where they will be on permanent public display.

 

To see more images from behind the scenes, visit our Facebook page and take a look at our albums.