Bentleys and Benefits’- a series of photography workshops, by Drik Picture Library, Dhaka in collaboration with RichMix and Morpeth School

Bentleys and Benefits is a unique exhibition at Rich Mix capturing the story and social diversity of the East End through the eyes of the young people who live here. The exhibition brings together the outcomes of ‘Demystifying Photography’, a series of photography workshops, by Drik Picture Library, Dhaka in collaboration with Rich Mix and Morpeth School.

Five workshops between October 2014 and June 2015 were conceived to offer the youth of East London an opportunity to work with Shahidul Alam, founder of Drik and world-renowned photographer, writer and activist from Bangladesh, and learn how to use digital technology to capture a memorable image by using key elements of story telling. By exploring emotion and perspective, and studying qualitative shifts between first person and third person narratives, Alam introduces the often-neglected sphere of visual literacy.

The photographers, all sixth form students at Morpeth school, have been working closely with Alam, to develop their own voice through photography; resulting in an intimate, compassionate and inclusive dialogue shaped by their experiences of life in Bethnal Green. The result is a photographic journey through the financial and social landscape of this extraordinary area of London.

Prints proudly supported by theprintspace.