2024 Artist in Residence
Tilly Nelson
A photo project by photographer and Langara Artist in Residence Tilly Nelson, exploring increasing representation of people with disabilities and visual differences in their place of work.
Nelson has worked with people with disabilities from a young age. Working as a commercial photographer she strives for representation and inclusion in her photography. Through her lens, she empowers voices that are often overlooked, capturing each individual with authenticity and respect.
We’re Already Here, it’s time you realized
A body of work photographed by Tilly Nelson that amplifies the voices of the disabled community.
The project began by asking over 50 people with disabilities about how they felt about representation. We asked questions such “What is it like to be a person with a disability in the workplace,” “do you feel like you are represented in the images around you,” “what would you want to say if given the space to share your thoughts,” “what do you wish you’d seen when growing up.”
The response was overwhelming. The underlying message was that people with disabilities are already in the spaces and places of work just the majority of people don’t yet realise it. This then shaped the project to show individuals with disabilities or visual differences within their places of work whilst also exploring what kids with disabilities want to be.
These images sit alongside words from the individuals involved so that the narrative remains with the people with disabilities. Below sits the series of 8 images and we encourage you to read what each of them has to say.
