Secondary school students in Portsmouth have been utilising photography as a creative vehicle through which to investigate the history of the Caribbean prisoners of war held at Portchester Castle during the French Revolution.
Working with artists Maya Brasington and Eva Louisa Jonas and historians Dr. Katherine Astbury and Abigail Coppins, the students undertook research and responded creatively through photography, focusing on telling forgotten stories, with a particular focus on Black British history and the ways in which free people of colour fought for emancipation in the Caribbean.
Students worked with imagery and responses made during site visits and also online research. Many responses were made on-site at Portchester Castle, but students unable to be present at castle visits worked with digital material found online about the Castle’s history. Both the primary and the secondary sources offered valuable visual and critical prompts for working with complex histories.
This showcase forms part of the Freedom & Photography Schools’ programme with Priory School and Portsmouth Grammar School delivered by artists Maya Brasington and Eva Louisa Jonas.
Freedom & Photography is a partnership between Photoworks, English Heritage and the University of Warwick funded by the British Academy, the University of Warwick and English Heritage.
Check out the accompanying teaching resource here.
These Chemigrams were made using collected seawater, seaweed and other objects washed up in the tide from the Portchester Castle site.
