31 March 2026
"It has been a privilege to witness and photograph those involved in these moving community projects, with the hope that the images help elevate their voices and experiences"
Credit: Johannah Churchill
A University of Sunderland academic has captured through photography how a major creative programme is exploring what freedom means today - 80 years on from the end of the Second World War.
Johannah Churchill, Lecturer in Contemporary Photography at the University, was commissioned through the Socially Engaged Photographers Network to use portraiture to capture the work of nine venues across the north-east who took part in the Our Freedom: Then and Now project.
Our Freedom: Then and Now is a nationwide initiative ran by Future Arts Centres that invites artists, local residents, veterans and community groups to reflect on how ideas of freedom have changed since 1945.
Through exhibitions, performances, workshops and public events, the programme transformed arts centres, libraries and public spaces into vibrant hubs for conversation, creativity and shared experience.
Johannah said: “Photography can capture both hope and uncertainty, revealing how fragile freedom can feel today. It has been a privilege to witness and photograph those involved in these moving community projects, with the hope that the images help elevate their voices and experiences.
“The portraits offer a platform for those voices, showing that rights are not always guaranteed and that while freedom can feel brittle, there is real hope when people come together.”
From writers in Wallsend to dancers in South Shields, and from youth groups in Hartlepool to refugees rebuilding their lives in Northumberland, the images offer a thoughtful yet hopeful glimpse into how freedom is lived and understood today.
Individual projects ranged from large-scale performances and exhibitions to intimate workshops and storytelling sessions, all rooted in local histories and contemporary experiences.
In Berwick, young people explored photography for the first time, discovering symbols of freedom in the landscape around them. In Stockton, inclusive dance and performance highlighted the importance of access and expression, while in Hexham and South Shields, work with military communities brought personal histories into public view.
These portraits are part of a national exhibition, bringing work together from across the UK so highlight the impact of the project and what freedom means to people today. The exhibition was launched at the Southbank Centre in London (25 March) and will be touring around the country.
The exhibition will visit the north-east and will be shown at Hartlepool Community Hub and Library, County Durham (20 April – 11 May) and ARC, Stockton on Tees (14 May – 12 June).
This programme was delivered in partnership with Libraries Connected and Open Eye Gallery, supported using public funding by UK Government through Arts Council England.
Find out more about the exhibition here.
If you are interested in studying Photography, Video and Digital Imaging at the University of Sunderland, find out more here.