What does friendship mean to you?

London 2018

Documentary Project

Friend-ship is a photographic project created in collaboration with the London-based charity Youmanity, alongside KeolisAmey Docklands, Back on Track, and the NHS. I was commissioned to develop a portrait series supporting Youmanity’s suicide prevention campaign, which I centred around one simple yet profound question:

“What does friendship mean to you?”

Through a series of intimate portraits and personal reflections, the project explores the meaning of friendship as a protective force — a space of belonging, listening, shared vulnerability, and mutual care. The intention was to open conversations around mental health through the lens of human connection, shifting the focus from crisis to relationship, from isolation to presence.

The campaign was widely showcased across London. Large-scale portraits were installed throughout DLR stations during World Mental Health Day and other public awareness initiatives, reaching thousands of commuters daily. The work was also exhibited in significant public venues, including the Houses of Commons and London City Hall, extending the conversation into civic and policy spaces.

Youmanity is a registered charity dedicated to promoting social equality and cultural diversity through photography and storytelling. Known particularly for its annual photography award and thematic exhibitions addressing urgent social issues — from human trafficking and gender discrimination to disability and age equality — the charity uses visual narratives to spark dialogue and change.

Within this context, Friend-Ship became both a public campaign and a collective invitation.

Exhibition at London City Hall & across the DLR stations of London

The project generated a collection of over 30 portraits representing people from all walks of life, and Friend-Ship quickly evolved into an award-winning community initiative. In June 2019, it received the Atul Pathak Gold Community Award at the Palace of Westminster. Later that year, the series reached an even wider public audience: the full collection was exhibited across the entire DLR network during key awareness dates in the city, and was showcased at London City Hall on 10 October 2019 to mark World Mental Health Day, forming part of a public programme dedicated to raising awareness around mental health and the importance of human connection.

Further Info

"Your best friends are people that it just feels easy with. When you meet, it's like you've never been apart. No matter how much we change, those friendships never do"

The Exhibitions

The Houses of Parliament showcase

Three years on, Friend-Ship continued to resonate strongly with the public. From 19 July to 5 August 2022, the exhibition was displayed at Paddington Library, where it was inaugurated by City of Westminster Councillor Maggie Carman.

The project received further recognition later that year, with the full collection of portraits — together with each sitter’s personal definition of friendship — showcased in the Upper Waiting Hall at the Houses of Parliament from 12–16 December 2022. This significant setting, regularly used by Members of Parliament, offered a powerful opportunity to extend the conversation around suicide prevention and encourage greater awareness within constituencies across the country.