Fast Forward: Women in Photography
Putting Ourselves in the Picture Part 2: Engaging with Industry

In 2021 Anna Fox was awarded an AHRC/UKRI Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Engagement Fellowship. Building on the Fast Forward: Women in Photography focus for women and non-binary people, this support enabled Putting Ourselves in the Picture (POITP) to engage a community of marginalised women and non-binary people to use photography to tell stories about their lives through engagements with training and industry. Over five years, more than 50 women took part from migrant and refugee backgrounds and a women’s refuge

POITP 2 presented here was made in collaboration with six key organisations: Autograph ABP; Creative Response; National Galleries of Scotland; Women for Refugee Women and Work Show Grow. Through workshops and mentoring POITP 2 developed the confidence and skills of the participants. Consequently, a publication, podcasts and a documentary were created to increase awareness of participants’ stories from their own perspective by using photography as a tool of empowerment.

The project participants: Alena, Alina, Ana, Anna, B, Bunny, Catty, Ceecee, DeeDee, Elham, Elise, Eunny, Grace,  Hanna, Hannah, Iryna, Jannat, Jasmine, Josiane, Kitty, Larysa, Leonelle, Linda, Lovelin, Manar, Margo, Maria, Maryam, Maryna, Maureen, Memory, Miya, Natalia P, Natalia S, Nina, Nwanyi, Olena, Olga, Phim, Polina, Precious, Rella, Rhody, Raolat, Sylvie, Svitlana, Taraneh, Valentyna, Vicky, Victoria and Viktoriia, have all made work that confronts the discrimination and marginalisation of women, opens our eyes and crushes stereotypes.

Fast Forward: Women in Photography is a research project, based at University for the Creative Arts (UCA), dedicated to promoting and engaging with women + non-binary individuals in photography internationally and challenging the established canons in the world of photography. Directed by photographer Anna Fox, Professor of Photography UCA, Maria Kapajeva (project manager), Corinne Whitehouse (research assistant).

POITP 1 and POITP 2 are now produced as a touring exhibition which has travelled worldwide. At Photoworks Festival 2026, Fast Forward will be exhibiting work from the second iteration of the project, Putting Ourselves in the Picture – Part 2: Engaging with Industry. 

 

Partners and Mentors POITP 1 and 2

IMPRESSIONS GALLERY, AUTOGRAPH , WOMEN FOR REFUGEE WOMEN, 

NATIONAL GALLERIES OF SCOTLAND, WORK SHOW GROW, CREATIVE RESPONSE 

Publications: Putting Ourselves in the Picture 1 – Trolley Books. Book design by Sarah Boris.

Putting Ourselves in the Picture 2 – Here Presss. Book design by Sarah Boris.