The ‘In Sight’ project is a unique photography project highlighting the issue of homelessness through the lens of those who have lived it. The project was created as a personal endeavour by two individuals within the Creative industry in Dublin who wanted to raise awareness about homelessness and funds for the cause, in an original, captivating and creative way. With no budget we relied entirely on the generosity of individuals and business around Ireland. Over a 12 month period, we worked with Dublin Simon Community and the Capuchin Day Centre to give disposable cameras and training to 45 members of Dublin’s homeless community, asking them to express their experience of homelessness through photography (the good, the bad and the ugly).
For every photograph, we also requested a description from the photographer to find out the reason and the
meaning of the image, giving a true ‘insight’ into the humanity behind homelessness, the wide-ranging causes of
homelessness and the varied life-stories of homeless people which were often surprising and unexpected.
The project culminated in a month-long exhibition of the photographs, descriptions and biographies of some of our
participants, in the Powerscourt Centre Dublin, followed by an outdoor exhibition on the railings of St Stephens
green and experiential activity on the streets themselves.
We achieved more PR than we could have imagined, and our photos even featured on a book cover (http://www.lookingatthestars.ie) & Mary Coughlan’s music video (https://youtu.be/T9Ejhoemmpw) !
Feedback from the public revealed interesing perspectives and showed how the photos and stories really connected
with people:
‘Fantastic exhibition. A very interesting piece by ‘Ramblin’ Rose.’ – Anna O’Rourke
‘It is important that the homeless people involved in this project got the chance to actively represent themselves
personally in such a public space. ‘ – Adrian Robb
‘I love the idea. Both for those of us lucky enough to have escaped homelessness so far…to get to know some of the
people on the streets of Dublin a bit and for the people who are, or were homeless to get the opportunity to show
their talent and to get recognition.’ – Petra Bangermann
‘Touching to see these photos taken by people that are homeless and imagine what they go through every day and
night’ – Art Craft
‘Wonderful work…just looking at your exhibition in Powerscourt of all the photographers involved…I suffer with
depression and have been a survivor of abuse, no sympathy, just empathy.’ – C.B.
All photographs, descriptions and bio’s are currently on display at www.theinsightproject.ie with photos for sale to
raise money for Dublin Simon Community. To date we have raised over €5,000 for the Dublin Simon Community, through online sales and targeted web & social advertising, but more importantly we gave a voice and platform to those who needed one most… helping to change the perspective of homelessness, one click at a time.
