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in partnership with UAL Insights
An annual collaboration between Autograph and UAL Insights that introduces young people to photography through an artist-led programme
A programme for London-based students in further education and sixth form colleges
To provide access to professional artists, curators and mentors, as well as Autograph's collection to support a new generation of makers in pursuing a creative career
Common Ground is an annual collaboration between Autograph and UAL Insights, inviting local sixth form and further education college students to explore themes of identity through photography. Sessions take place at Autograph and at UAL’s London College of Communication (LCC).
Created and facilitated by Adrian Wood and D Wiafe, the 2025 iteration of the programme, On Set, explores personal histories and self-representation. The group are invited to reflect on the people, places and things that matter to them and to think about how they build a set which offers clues about who they are and what they’re into.
Through portraiture, objects, symbols and other meaningful items, the group will be creating photographs that celebrate their identity. Working with industry mentors and tutors, the project supports students to gain experience in studio-based skills such as lighting, set design, still life and camera techniques.
Engaging with the programme
Recruited to support delivery
Sharing the participants' work with the public
Sharing work made by the participants during the project
Taking place at Autograph
Taking at Autograph and London College of Communication
Studio portrait workshop at LCC
Image by Dhillon
Introductory session at Autograph
Image by Yassir
Outdoor studio workshop
Exhibition tour with artist Eileen Perrier at Autograph
Project planning session at Autograph
Adrian Wood is Senior Lecturer for BA (Hons) Photography at London College of Communication. Adrian is a London based Photographer and has exhibited domestically and internationally, including at Victoria & Albert Museum, (London) Aperture Gallery (NYC, USA,) Rencontres de Arles (France), and Musee de Elysee (Switzerland).
Community Outreach and Participatory projects are a core element of Adrian’s practice. Working with community and arts organisations, schools and government agencies, his work focuses on projects that encourage young people to use photography as a new way of seeing their own environment and themselves in relation to their communities, society and the wider world. The camera is used as a device for investigating the lines between participants' current realities and their future potential.
See more work produced by young Londoners as part of last year's iteration of the project
View
Banner Image: Project work by Liv [detail] 2025, © and courtesy the artist.
Images on the page: Courtesy of the artists and Autograph, London. © The artists.
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Autograph is a space to see things differently. Since 1988, we have championed photography that explores issues of race, identity, representation, human rights and social justice, sharing how photographs reflect lived experiences and shape our understanding of ourselves and others.
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