British photographer Jamie Hawkesworth is not easy to box. He is known for his documentary-style approach and for capturing the quotidian details of life in his country. And he’s a favourite in fashion circles, having worked with brands like Prada, Alexander McQueen, and Loewe in the past. But his latest exhibition features none of this. No evocative portrayals of people and nature, no models in runway looks. Instead, he’s shifted focus to...water.
The ongoing exhibition, titled Project Water, features eight of Hawkesworth’s hand-printed photographs, all of which were shot in Kashmir. For the show, the photographer has collaborated with Endless Rhythm, an innovative water filter company, with all proceeds from the show going to The Cycle, a charity providing clean water and hygiene education to communities in need. For 25 years, this not-for-profit has been working with women and girls, educating them on WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) and menstrual health. Today, 2.3 billion people worldwide don’t have access to a toilet, a statistic The Cycle is trying to change with their current focus being India, notably Tamil Nadu. Here, they are building toilets in secondary schools, which has led to a 20 per cent increase in the attendance rate of girls and raised household earnings by 16 per cent by reducing sickness in these communities.
At Hawkesworth’s exhibit, visitors can walk into a space where water is visibly the star of the show. They can walk out with a print, sale of which will go towards building safe and sustainable eco-toilets, restoring water bodies, menstrual health education, and gender equality. All the prints feature Kashmir’s famous Dal Lake and capture the playfulness of young boys in the water, almost like poetry in stillness.
Below are some stills from the exhibit.
