Deaf Mosaic goes to Leicester
It was a dream come true for deaf photographer Stephen Iliffe to return to his home city and exhibit at Leicester’s De Montfort University, 40 years after graduating there.
In a historic first-ever exhibition about the deaf community to be hosted in Leicester, Deaf Mosaic featured 27 intimate portraits of deaf people from a wide range of backgrounds – TV chef to actress, NHS nurse to postman, kick-boxer to musician.
The De Montfort campus has 23,000 students and 2,000 staff - a huge captive audience for Deaf Mosaic’s key message: ‘with the right support, deaf people can do anything'.
Stephen grew up in Leicester and studied here at the Leicester Polytechnic (before later being renamed as De Montfort University. “This was the pre-digital 1980s, we used 35mm black and white film, spending hours in red-lit darkrooms with sulphuric chemicals” says Stephen. “But it was a great grounding for learning our craft. I’m still applying the same principles of composition to my photography today. It’s an emotional experience to come back here to the very same campus where it all started for me.”
Then and now: Stephen (above, centre) as a photography student (1982) and on his return to the University 42 years later (below) to exhibit his work.
“I was the only deaf kid in a mainstream school in Leicester. I had no adult deaf role models for what I could achieve in life. It wasn’t until my 20s that I stumbled across the deaf community. It was as if a light had been switched on in a dark room. Overnight, my deafness went from being a negative to a positive. Finally, I began to understand that it isn’t deafness itself that disables people but the barriers in society that often prevent us achieving our dreams.”
“There are now so many practical ways to create access for deaf people - from sign language interpreters to technological aids, from TV and video captions to inclusive classrooms and workplaces. My Deaf Mosaic exhibition affirms that with the right support, deaf people can achieve anything.”
The present day Leicester Gallery is on the same De Montfort University campus where I studied photography in the 1980s. The architecture has completely transformed since then.
Exhibition set up with assistance from gallery manager Hugo Worthy. His warm interest in Deaf Mosaic and curiosity about the deaf community was key to achieving my dream to exhibit here. Thank you, Hugo.
Thank you to Craig Crowley and his Action Deafness colleagues for hosting the private view to kick off the two-month exhibition.
Deaf Mosaic stimulates urgent conversations between deaf and hearing people, and among educators, employers, policy makers.
As well as university staff and students, the exhibition was well-attended by the general public too.
Asha Nauth (left) of the Deaf Ethnic Women’s Association and friends, one of the many local deaf community groups to visit the exhibition.
Deaf Mosaic offers bilingual access to visitors. Each portrait has an English caption plus a QR code link to a British Sign Language version viewable on mobile phone.
Stephen and Acsah Belle of the De Montfort University Disabled Students Support team.
“When I was at university back in the 1980s, deaf awareness was absolutely zero. It was over a decade before the Equalities Act or the Disabled Students Allowance that now funds disability access to Higher Education. Acsah is part of the University support team that ensures this happens - for example through deaf students being able to request sign language interpreters or notetakers, radio aids or captioned resources.
The celebrity TV chef Scott Garthwaite aka Punk Chef drops by to salute his portrait.
Artist Rubbena Aurangzeb-Tariq alongside her portrait made at her studio.
The guest book quickly filled with feedback. I treasure every comment and they inform my future ideas and exhibitions.
Deaf Mosaic also got significant local media coverage, including a BBC Radio Leicester interview with DJ Letitia George (above), taking our key messages to the wider public.
It was great to see many De Montfort University staff drop by to see the work. Tove Noorjahan Delanius is one of the world’s leading authorities on holography. “This exhibition was an eye-opener for me. I learnt so much from it.”
40 years after graduating from De Montfort University, Stephen gives a tour to the Class of 2024 photography degree students.
“We were thrilled to welcome one of our graduates back to De Montfort campus,” says DMU photography course leader Mark Krasumovic (above, far left). “There’s never been an exhibition about deaf people in Leicester before, so we’re proud to host this. Stephen has an important message to share with the general public. He inspires our students’ by demonstrating that photography still has a vital role to play in documenting people’s lives and highlighting urgent social issues.”
In summary: Exhibiting at Leicester De Montfort University was dream come true. To return, four decades later, and to engage the present day staff and students, and the local deaf community, plus the media, was one of the memorable experiences of my life. It’s exactly why I got back into photography, to engage people and raise deaf awareness.