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This is a gorgeous portrait of a diverse and thriving community made of intertwining lives, experiences and journeys. For deaf children growing up today, they can look to this mosaic and see that with the right support there are limitless possibilities in what they can achieve.
Susan Daniels OBE
Chief Executive, National Deaf Children’s Society
Stephen Iliffe is an accomplished photographer who challenges unconscious bias and demystifies his subjects. Deaf Mosaic shows us that deaf people can do anything except hear perfectly.
BBC TV South East Today
Who knew that a single photograph could tell such a powerful story. Stephen is an incredible photographer.
BBC TV See Hear
Stephen captures the 'rainbow-coloured mosaic' of deaf intersectionality in all its stunning, striking vibrancy.
Liam O’Dell, journalist, campaigner
Luton
I and other City Lit photography tutors plead with every student, as they leave, to set themselves a project and see where it takes them. In Stephen’s case into the stratosphere. A fantastic body of work.
Matthew Ward
Photography Coordinator, City Lit
Deaf Mosaic is a valuable contribution to our dialogue on diversity and inclusion. I was struck by the variety of their contributions to the deaf community and the wider world. I hope to use this resource to engage audiences in working for a more just society.
Sophie Stanes
St Paul's Cathedral, London
Photography and music can speak to each other, and we were delighted when our students felt so inspired by one of Stephen’s portraits to compose and perform a duet for saxophones for our annual concert.
Royal College of Music
Dispensing briskly with stereotypes, it portrays deaf people as the vibrant, incredibly diverse community we know we are, but whose range others may not yet fully appreciate.
Juliet England
Limping Chicken magazine
Stephen’s vivid portraits are a testament to his photographic talent and deaf people’s richly diverse lives. At Humans of London, we’re honoured to be able to share them on our page as little windows into their worlds.
Cathy Teesdale
Humans of London
Stephen’s Deaf Mosaic exhibition reinforces the power of good photography, printed well and shown on a gallery wall. After two years of COVID restrictions, it was exciting to get out and visit a gallery and experience once more the emotional connection that comes from eye contact between portrait subject and gallery visitor. The subtle detail which only becomes visible in a print tells a deeper and richer story than you’d ever get from a tiny, backlit image on a mobile phone.
Shirley Read
Photography curator and author
Deaf people have so many different life experiences that we easily become isolated from each other. Stephen’s beautiful photos and warm, gentle words remind us that when deaf people accept each other’s differences, we gain strength – like tiny droplets gathering into a huge river.
Sasa Marie Hagiwara, poet
Tokyo, Japan
As Stephen is a deaf photographer who uses my language – British Sign Language – he was able to put me at ease. It was a true collaboration with Stephen because he consulted me about how I like to be portrayed. We bounced ideas off each other. It would have been much harder to relax and express my true self in front of a hearing photographer who simply spoke at me… You can see this in all the Deaf Mosaic exhibition portraits. Deaf people at ease in the presence of an empathetic deaf photographer… You listened to us as we shared our journeys and life stories…
Moona Mohammed
Body positivity blogger
As a young deaf person studying photography for my degree, It was uplifting to travel all the way from Cardiff to London to see the Deaf Mosaic exhibition. It gives me greater confidence that deaf people have something unique to offer and there no reason that we cannot be professional photographers too.
Mariah Ali
University of South Wales
Wow. Simply wow. As a parent of a deaf child with multiple issues, I’m stunned by the beautiful, delicate and humanistic nature of your work. It’s wonderful to see such positive role models and such a diverse bunch too. Thank you for all your work in putting this together.
Pam Sekhon
Deaf Mosaic is a vibrant exhibition. It represents us deaf people in a more authentic way than we see in the media, where we are often pathologically seen as something that needs to be ‘fixed’, helpless, sad, or less intelligent.
Victoria Nelson
Deaf4Deaf counselling services
The photos alone are brilliant but it’s the accompanying text which brings them to life and engenders feelings of empathy and admiration for the subjects.
Debbie Rose,
Oakham, Rutland
I find Deaf Mosaic endlessly fascinating; it’s such an informative and enjoyable window into so many varied deaf worlds.
Sarah Playforth,
Seaford, West Sussex
Thank you, thank you, thank you - I had a smile on my face at every portrait. This made me emotional and, whilst beautiful, has that slightly bitter edge - yet the resilience and strength also shines through!
Caron Wolfenden
Devon
Such a moving exhibition. When my deaf baby was born, I felt alone. It was hard to visualise what the future would be like. Deaf Mosaic really opened my eyes and makes me feel more optimistic. We need more role models like this.
Cathy Smith
Manchester
Very moving exhibition. My parents were deaf and life wasn’t easy for them. They raised three children with little or no help. The Deaf Mosaic stories reminded me of how brilliant my parents were. And made me smile remembering the various characters we met at the deaf clubs. Thank You.
Teresa Jones
This is one of the best exhibitions I’ve seen in a very long time. Really inspiring and a good tonic for today’s many challenges.
Geraldine O’Halloran
London
Absolutely brilliant celebration of deaf lives in all their diversity.
Isobel Reid,
Hertfordshire County Council
We were so impressed with Deaf Mosaic. It is unique, inspiring, insightful, colourful and enlightening.
Christopher Wyer
DeafCOG, East Sussex
This fascinating stroll through Deaf lives leaves me swelling with Deaf pride! Its rich multicultural timelessness reminds you the collective human spirit is indefatigable and a source of inspiration for all of us.
Melissa Mostyn, author
Aylesbury
Awesome portraits! I learnt so much about the UK deaf community!
Warren ‘Wawa’ Snipe, Dip Hop singer
Virginia, USA.
I am proud to say that I’m in one of Stephen Iliffe’s projects. He is a wonderful photographer.
Vilma Jackson, BSL performer and sign singer
London
I really enjoyed the beautiful exhibition of these fabulous Deaf role models who demonstrate healthy choices in the face of often extreme challenges to physical and mental health needs.
Rebecca Mansell
SignHealth
Stephen has a gift for putting people at ease and exposing their inner feelings. He portrays deaf people as they are: not as a pair of broken ears, but human beings like anyone else with all their rich complexities.
Robert Jenkins
Southampton
Wonderful photographs and stories - It's hard to choose a favourite - but I was struck by Hannah Lewis in her church, and Helen Schreibmann-Smith lighting the Hannukah candles. There's Nadia the Riveter, Tamara looking stunningly glamorous, Eloise and her violin, the beautiful profile of Abdi Gas, the challenging yet warm gaze of James Clarke, and the stillness at the centre of dynamism of Vilma Jackson.
Pauline Latchem, counsellor
London
As a deaf photographer, Stephen was able to reflect the different sides of me. Having been through some tough times this year, seeing my strength in his portrait of me has reminded me that I can continue to overcome the barriers that hearing society puts in front of me.
Paul E. Ntulila
Global Disability Innovation Hub, London
I am 73 and have become progressively deaf since my mid 40's. Thank you so much for these beautiful portraits - they have opened up a whole new world for me.
Christine Lane
Hertfordshire
What a fantastic piece of work you did with these deaf role models. I dreamed one day something like this would happen.
Derek Rodger, teacher of the deaf
Hertfordshire