Sunderland photography project will transform wheelie bins into cameras

Photographer Jo Howell (fourth from right) and NEPNs Amanda Ritson (second from

Participants will be using the bins as pinhole cameras, effectively utilising them as light-proof boxes.

The #Wearexperimenting project will be delivered by Sunderland photographic artist Jo Howell on behalf of the Cultural Spring and co-commissioner the North East Photography Network (NEPN).

Jo explained: “Wear Experimenting is an exciting project that infuses science and photography on a large public scale. The project is inviting the people of Sunderland to take part in a methodical, and fun, scientific mass observation of the city.

“We’ll be encouraging people to take pictures with their smartphones and use the #Wearexperimenting hashtag to help us collect loads of images that we’ll then look to put into an archive for public display.

“And lastly, on most Saturdays between June and September our pop-up darkroom will appear in places around the city, and we’ll be encouraging people to take part in four photographic experiments.

“These experiments will be: taking portraits using a wheelie bin as a camera; portraits using microscopes; taking camera-less photographs of plastic waste in the city, and using coffee tins to photograph buildings around Sunderland.”

The first session will start from on Monday from 11am -1pm at Kayll Road Library, Pallion. All sessions are free and all ages are welcome.

The Cultural Spring is an Arts Council England (ACE) funded project, which aims to increase participation in the arts both in Sunderland and South Tyneside.