A four-week digital photography masterclass was offered to students by LU Arts earlier this year, providing the opportunity to work with David Severn, an award-winning documentary and editorial photographer based in Nottingham.

The sessions aimed to help the students develop their skills whilst working towards the production of an exhibition looking at the significant heritage of manufacturing in Loughborough.

‌Image by Kayleigh Buswell

As part of the programme, ten students went on two photographic site-visits: to the historic John Taylor & Co Bell Foundry, and to the factory of specialist printers Anstey Wallpaper.

The group then spent their final session selecting, editing and sequencing the photos to tell a story to those viewing the pieces of work.

This insightful, creative and emotional collection includes a selection of environmental shots, employee portraits, and detailed object photos illustrating the craftsmanship and skills embedded into both these organisations and Loughborough as an industrial town.

‌Image by Jonathan Slessor

The exhibition can be found online here. Plans for an exhibition of the work on campus have been put on hold at present due to the current restrictions in place; it is hoped that this can still take place in the future.

David Severn was selected as the winner of the Magnum Photos ’30 under 30’ Award in 2015, an international competition open to documentary photographers under the age of 30 that cover social issues in their work. His work mostly focuses on working-class culture and the places associated with it, with a particular interest in the relationship between people, work and landscapes.

‌Image by Haiou Zhu

The student contributors of this collection were Lucy Moult, Haiou Zhu, Liming Ma, Blessing Bello, Jonathan Slessor, Kelsey Bebbington, Piers Ross-Roberts, Lisa Lo, Kayleigh Buswell and Anni Pekie.