Coventry City of Culture: Photographic exhibition focuses on homelessness

A photographic exhibition focuses on people who have experienced homelessness.

Artist Anthony Luvera helped each participant take their own photograph in front of a background that was significant to them.

The exhibition, titled Agency, was commissioned as part of Coventry's term as UK City of Culture.

Mr Luvera said he wanted to challenge negative perceptions.

He wanted people to look at the images and see individuals "with a past, present and future that have worth and have value", he said.

As well as the portraits, participants were given disposable cameras so they could document their experiences and places in the city that were significant to them.

Mick Bickley, one of those who took part, chose to have his photo taken in front of the window of the room where he was born.

He said homeless people often seemed invisible.

"If this [exhibition] helps people to understand, that would be a wonderful thing," he said.

He said one of his strongest memories of being homeless were the freezing temperatures as he slept on the streets for a couple of nights one winter.

Bernie Howard was pregnant the first time she became homeless.

Her photograph is taken in front of one of the medieval buildings in Spon Street in Coventry.

She said "When I was homeless, I could have died. I could have starved. I could have frozen. When you're homeless, you can have really hard times, but you can get through and become somebody else."

Figures from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local government show that 2,503 people were assessed as needing help for either being homeless or threatened with homelessness in Coventry between April 2020-March 2021.

Mr Luvera has been involved in creating similar projects across the UK for almost 20 years and the exhibition is on display on Warwick Row in Coventry until 28 October.

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