(Photograph) - Liam Bailey, as artist-in-residence at Lewisham College, south London, has a wide brief: to record the life of the 12,000-student college and its wider community throughout the year.
The 30-year-old London science teacher turned photographer has complete freedom to observe, reflect and participate in all college life under the annual Pounds 5,000 arts bursary he has been awarded.
“People are really taken away from their day-to-day lives and focus, which allows me to capture more of the spirit of people when they’re not conscious of my presence,” he said.
The bursary was the creation of the principal, Ruth Silver. When appointed three years ago, she decided that cash cuts and a crisis of identity in the college called for action.
Liam Bailey is fast making an international name. His photographs of civil war in Tbilisi, Georgia, have appeared in national newspapers.
