Richard Bailey and Shifting Perspectives

Richard Bailey is a famous British photographer whose work ranges from advertising to editorial. In his career, spanning more than a decade and a half, some of his most important work began just a few years ago. In 2005, Bailey, along with other photographers, began a campaign: Shifting Perspectives. The purpose of the campaign? To shift the perspective of Down syndrome, showing both children and adults in their own unique lights. The campaign was designed to reflect the individual over the syndrome. Bailey's work, along with others', in Shifting Perspectives, proves we are all definitely more alike than different.

Of course we had to find out more, behold our interview with the genuine and brilliant Bailey:


MLM: You have photographs of the DSActive (their version of Miracle League, but with their nation's popular sport...soccer!) players, actress Sarah Gordy, and the 'I Am' campaign, among others, what inspired you to do each section of the campaign? 

Richard Bailey: The different photographers have different themes and subject matters, which over the years has dealt with all aspects of Down syndrome. In 2005 I photographed 365 children with Down syndrome. This was to represent the statistic that 1-2 children, on average, are born with Down syndrome everyday in England alone. It was also to show how different from one another they actually are. Whether we like it or not, there is a stereotype of Down syndrome, which is conjured up in our minds as soon as these words are mentioned.

Somebody once asked me if Down syndrome occurs in every race, so I photographed families from different cultures and religions to show that Down syndrome knows no boundaries.

(Then) in 2008, I asked a group of young adults how they saw themselves, what they wanted to be, and what they liked. I wanted them to have not only self-awareness, but also to have a part in the image-making process. We had some wonderful shots (from) people dressed as James Bond to someone who liked going to the cinema with her friend Kitty Gilbert, to a young lady who liked swearing and ironing.


MLM: Where did the core inspiration for the entire campaign come from?

It is apparent that you are not alone in this campaign.  How did it get started? How did you bring so many others on board?

RB: When my daughter, Billie-Jo, was born 12 years ago I knew very little about Down syndrome. In fact, my only point of reference were the adults I had served tea to at the local Cheshire home when I was a boy. This had been twenty years (prior) and it had seemed that people with disabilities were generally hidden from society. There was no push for them to be a part of society, to go to mainstream schools and even enter the workforce. People with disabilities were labeled and to all intents and purposes put into a corner and forgotten about by mainstream society.

Twelve years ago we searched for information about Down syndrome and found that all the books available were factual or from charities. The images accompanying these books were very factual too. They showed posture, physiology, and all things concerned with the syndrome rather than the individual. The images we found in these old textbooks were often disturbing and misleading, as they had little bearing on our experience. They did, though, confirm the distant mental images I had of those people I met in the Cheshire home with their white socks and pudding bowl haircuts.

We found no images that showed daily life, no images of families having fun with their children, or of young adults going about their daily life. And, these were the images that we dearly wanted to see.

Shifting Perspectives was, like many things, created through a series of fortuitous events. I had gotten to know other parents of children with Down syndrome, who also happened to be photographers. We had all noticed the dearth of imagery based around having a child with a difference and decided to put up a few snapshots of family life at a local café, for Down syndrome Awareness Week. These images showed life carrying on, they showed siblings interacting, and they showed families having fun. They were interesting because there was no mention made of disability; they could have been anybody's snapshots.

The Down's Syndrome Association soon got involved and through them GlaxoSmithKline made available a substantial amount of money that has allowed us, over the last seven years, to build up this large and influential body of work. I have been able to invite photographers to produce a body of work for the exhibition. As artists we have been able to explore the photographic representation of people with Down syndrome and challenge commonly held attitudes and prejudices.

All the artists have a personal relationship with Down syndrome. Usually they are parents, but some may have siblings and a few do have Down syndrome. 
Society has changed from twenty years ago; people with disabilities are now much more part of the mainstream, but there is still a long way to go. People all over the world are now seeing our images and my hope is that the public will be able to see an individual rather than just a person with Down syndrome.


MLM: What have been your favorite parts of doing these shoots?

RB: It has been such a privilege to have been curator over the last seven years, as I have (had the chance) to work with some outstanding photographers and see their visions come to life. With such generous funding from GlaxoSmithKline and support from the Down's Syndrome Association, I have been able to make sure that the artists have had their work printed and framed to their exact requirements. and a very high standard.

We have also been able to tour the work, initially all around the UK and now, as the work becomes more and more well known, we are traveling around the world. I have been able to organize a Shifting Perspectives website to showcase all the work and more recently an iPad and iPhone app. Each year I have produced a fundraising calendar of the work and am currently designing a book, (to be published) in 2012. The only real challenge has been finding the time to fit all of this in, alongside my job as a photographer.

Coming up with the ideas, thinking about the style of the shoot, but mainly meeting children and young adults with DS and their parents has been a lot of fun. 


MLM: What was it that inspired so many to get involved in this beautiful project?

RB: Because we all have a relationship, in some form or another, to a person with DS, we all have a vested interest. Also, because photography is such a powerful medium, we, as artists, have been able to get our message across, in a positive, thoughtful, and engaging way.

MLM: What is done to ensure the voices of the Campaign are heard by as many as possible?
RB: GlaxoSmithKline has been incredibly generous with its sponsorship over the last seven years, which has allowed us to tour the work, produce a website, (develop) apps., etc. Unfortunately, that sponsorship will finish at the end of 2012, when we will have
to look at other ways of getting the work 'out there'.

MLM: Is there any part of the Campaign that is displayed in the US that I could suggest my readers check out? If not, are there specific sites and/ or articles you suggest I refer to?
RB: We have just had our first ever exhibition in the states, which was at The Dublin Arts Council in Dublin, Ohio. This is a lovely film that the local cable channel produced. Our website will have all the work plus text and is pretty comprehensive. And, you can download a free app for the iPad and iPhone here.

We are always looking for venues, so if anyone wants to put us in touch with a venue, please do.

MLM: Finally, you've been working on this campaign since 2005. What kinds of successes have you seen since then?  How is the Campaign affecting people both with Down syndrome and without?

RB: This is a difficult question to answer. The images themselves have been a great success, winning many awards. My images of Sarah Gordy, recently came in second in the Campaign section of the Sony World Photography Awards, and were best in book at the Creative Review Photography Awards. But, what these awards mean, is that even more people see the images and get the message; people who may have never met a person with DS, people who might not have seen the images otherwise, and people who influence the images all of us get to see.

I guess though, the most exciting thing is taking the work to countries which aren't quite as 'advanced' when it comes to dealing with people who have a disability. I took the exhibition out to Turkey, where three women were starting up a foundation. We toured it around Istanbul. Likewise in Hungary. A lady got in touch who was starting a foundation and wanted the exhibition as a springboard. These women will be making great changes in their respective countries and it is nice to know that, in a small way, we will have played a part.



To find out more, check out statistics and facts here, and more about the individual here, at Noah's Dad's blog!


Special thanks to the extremely helpful Mr. Bailey for a wonderful interview, as well as Down's Syndrome Association for spreading the word.