About the project
Over the years, as a woman and mother and grandmother with a background in the arts, it has been difficult to pay attention to the creative ideas that surface in my mind. It’s a challenge to pay more than fleeting attention to them, never mind find time or money to explore them. I have realized it is not an individual failing but rather the place of the arts in a society that values activities that bring in ‘a good living’ above the ‘lightweight’ and ‘non-essential’ pursuit of something like storytelling or singing.
The wellbeing of people is not prioritised and the celebration and commentary on life that happens in the arts is seen as an optional extra. It is not recognised as necessary for the progress of society, and is certainly not going to attract much financial investment. At best it attracts public/civic accolades when it reaches a very visible level. The underpinning income to sustain a living wage, rewarding skill, time and effort gladly given, is often lacking.
Accordingly the marginalisation of the arts means they are less attractive, and indeed a questionable choice, as an arena in which to make a secure living. Those people that persist, despite discouraging conditions, do so with good heart and are following their dreams accompanied by an unpredictable income.
And yet artistic expression is heartfelt and deeply understood as a personal and collective bulwark against the attrition of a fast paced and profit orientated society. And there is largely little profit to be made from this body of workers so they are left alone by mainstream society to live on less while they supply the hope and celebration of life that is central to societies wellbeing.
The confirmation of the relevance of this project came from my sister Brenda when she said, ‘Mum would have loved this kind of project, recognition for all the work she did, especially as she got older and kept her garden and her bit of farming going’. Mum was the mother of seven children, a gardener, a farmer, a community worker and the occasional singer, when called on. She photographed her own flowers, sharing the photos round the family. She would have loved to have someone turn up and document her labours, acknowledge her contribution to community.
In this context I congratulate these women in the arts who have additionally faced the challenge of being a woman in a world where they often don’t get an even break in employment or public applause and yet have won through regardless. To have held on to their artistic expression is a success. To have held onto it through a life time takes courage and belief in its significance. To perform in your sixties, seventies and eighties is a triumph. I salute you!
About Sheila
Sheila Fairon is a photographer who lives in Portrush on the north coast of Northern Ireland.
She has had a camera with her through student days, rearing a family, going travelling and documenting various environmental, social and community projects.
In recent years she has taken professional photos of local events, family and community gatherings in her home town.
The photographs in ‘Real Women, Big Lives’ are of older women in the arts who keep ‘stepping up, smiling back’. She says this is a phrase that came to her mind to describe the willing engagement of the women being photographed.
Credits