Lockdown Leader: Ray Burmiston
Photographer Ray Burmiston’s and mental health charity mind have launched a new exhibition of portraits to highlight the importance of mental health.
Photographer Ray Burmiston has photographed some incredible people over the years – everyone from David Bowie to Kylie Minogue, David Beckham, Beyoncé and Dame Shirley Bassey. During each shoot he asks his subject to close their eyes and take themselves to a peaceful place for a few seconds. “I've found that this really helps to refresh the energy between the camera, and the subject,” he says. “They had an energy that was quite special and quite different from the rest of the shoot.” In time, the collection grew – until Ray felt it was the right time to use it for something good. That moment is now.
As he tells is, “Just before lockdown took hold (and turned the world turned upside down) I had the pleasure of photographing national treasure and president of Mind, Stephen Fry. During a break in shooting I showed him a collection of portraits, hundreds of well-known faces with their eyes closed. Stephen said that he found the images especially powerful and despite the famous saying: “the eyes are the window to the soul” to him the portraits still said so much more.” Ray told Stephen he wanted to exhibit the collection in aid of a mental health charity, as he felt the idea of “Taking A Moment” had a close connection with the issue of good mental health. Stephen then introduced him to Mind, who embraced the idea. Hence, the Take A Moment charity drive for Mind, launched this October, in which the public can upload their own selfies into the massive artwork for £3, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Fearne Cotton, Supervet Noel Fitzpatrick, Joe Wicks, Richard Osman and Matt Lucas. Meanwhile, £30 will get them an authenticated print, and for £300, they’ll receive a custom, authenticated and signed print. A minimum of 90% profit of each sale will be donated to Mind.
Taking A Moment, of course, is an incredibly important thing to practice right now. As Ray says, “The pandemic has meant that that two out of three adults are suffering with mental health problems and there has never been a more important time to donate to Mind.” And while Ray hopes it will promote the message: 'we're all in this together', it’s similarly important to acknowledge that we’re not all in the same boat. As mentalhealth.org.uk says, “We might all be sailing on the same rough sea, but we are not in the same boats and do not have the same equipment to navigate these waters.”
According to the NHS, GPs are seeing a rise in people reporting severe mental health difficulties, with some groups suffering more than others under Lockdown. A study, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, found that between March and May, suicidal thoughts increased from 8% to 10% and were highest among young adults (18-24). Other at-risk groups include those with pre-existing mental health problems, single parents, the unemployed, LGBT+ people due to bullying and discrimination, the elderly, those in the arts, manual and healthcare workers, and people in abusive relationships. While more women than men were reporting feeling anxious and hopeless. "There's no doubt the pandemic will have a lasting impact on mental health,” Jacqui Morrissey from Samaritans told the BBC. “We are really worried issues like job losses will impact further.”
So all power to those who in their own way are helping to ease the pressure. Says Ray, “To all the wonderful faces who have not only allowed me to share their ‘moment’ and to be a part of “TakeAMoment4Mind’ but created videos of support and shared the concept on their own social channels, I am deeply grateful.”