Who are these women? Conceptualising participatory critical visual literacy (PCVL) through exploring the use of participatory photography within networked spaces

Krasteva-Brailsford, Kallina, 2023. Who are these women? Conceptualising participatory critical visual literacy (PCVL) through exploring the use of participatory photography within networked spaces. PhD, Nottingham Trent University.

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Abstract

Who Are These Women? is a practice-based research project that aims to critically examine the potential intersections of participatory photography and the networked image within networked spaces. I conceptualise critical visual literacy (CVL) within socially engaged photography as a reflective model that underpins this project's methodology and use of participatory photography, and I refer to it as Participatory Critical Visual Literacy (PCVL). PCVL utilises the reciprocal structure as a metaphor to develop eight key areas for consideration: creativity, context, self-representation, group work, critical reflection, analysis, outputs, exhibitions, and transformation. During the COVID-19 lockdown, I organised a series of online workshops aimed at young women who, at the time, were not in full-time education or employment. This online initiative expanded my thinking and provided insights into the use of technology and remote engagement to an extent beyond what I had initially envisioned. Throughout the workshops, we explored the young women’s experiences and interactions with networked images and social media, their connection to employment and precarity, and their role in shaping their identities. Key findings from the work created by participants include the pressures to perform identities in neoliberal environments, the commodification of ‘femininity’ through images, and the importance of critical reflection when creating photographic self-representations. The insights from their work on these issues were explored, shared and presented through an online exhibition and an art book. One of the key critical insights of the project, based on the final outputs, was that photography can be both the problem and potentially the solution to questions of representation. Through reflection on the practice, I also found that while smartphone cameras, networked spaces, and technology enabled remote participation, they also impacted privacy and engagement while presenting ethical challenges. The research suggests that digital communication technologies, including smartphones, are likely to become the preferred tools for participatory photography projects; however, the risks involved, as well as the distribution of power between humans and technology, need further critical exploration. Through addressing inherent ethical concerns, the research found that transparency and reflection are imperative in conducting a participatory photography project and that power dynamics related to language, remuneration, authorship, and representation should also be carefully considered. The research suggests that these considerations are unique to every context, and utilising PCVL can be a productive critical model for asking pertinent questions when engaging with participatory photography, which requires an open and reflective mindset for each individual project. The research contributes to artistic research and the wider fields of feminist media studies, networked images and photography and, ultimately, to the practice of participatory photography as a whole.

Item Type:	Thesis
Description:	Abridged version
Creators:	Krasteva-Brailsford, K.
Contributors:	Name Role NTU ID ORCID Andersen, E. Thesis supervisor ART3ANDERE https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3575-8757 Çakirlar, C. Thesis supervisor ECM3CAKIRC https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1171-8635
Date:	November 2023
Divisions:	Schools > School of Art and Design
Record created by:	Jeremy Silvester
Date Added:	18 Mar 2026 10:29
Last Modified:	18 Mar 2026 11:19
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/55436

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