The Faces of the King Photography Project

THE FACES OF THE KING

Elias Tsigounis Tsigkounis is a Falmouth Flexible BA(Hons) Photography (Top-Up) student who’s based in London. We spoke to him about a project he’s been working on as part of his course – ‘The Faces of the King’.

Rachel / Head of Nursing / Band 8C / Zambia

Michelle / Ward Sister / Band 7 / United Kingdom

Zara / Practice Development Nurse / Band 7 / Armenia

Beena / Deputy Sister / Band 6 / India

Taiwo / Charge Nurse / Band 6 / Nigeria

Can you tell us about your ‘The Faces of the King’ project?

‘The Faces of the King’ are the nurses and health care assistants who work at King’s College Hospital, one of the biggest trusts in London. The project explores the identity of nurses and health care assistants as individuals and in their role. The viewer can observe the nursing structure of a ward amidst social, political and historical events. In its final form, it will comprise a historical archive of nurses and midwives of King’s College Hospital, in this specific chronological time, during Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic, seventy-two years after the NHS was founded in 1948 and two centuries since the birth of Florence Nightingale.

Why did you choose staff at King’s College as your subjects, and what was the process like?

My employment is related to health services and I have been working at the King’s College Hospital since 2015. My daily professional encounters are colleagues with origins from all over the world. I was fascinated by the diverse faces and the geographical places they represent in the hospital’s environment. Furthermore, I was impressed by the solidarity and equality among staff despite all the cultural differences. Thus, for my final major project I decided to create ‘The Faces of the King’.

In ‘The Faces of the King’, the nurses are on day or night shift duty.

The shooting takes place in the ward’s visitor lounge where I have set up a portable studio. They come into the day lounge to have their portrait taken when they are less busy. As soon as they have signed the model release form, they pose for about five minutes and then they return to work.

Needless to say, an eight-minute shoot took many weeks of preparation.

Ruth / Staff Nurse / Band 5 / Ethiopia

Clarissa / Staff Nurse / Band 5 / Philippines

What do you hope to convey with the images?

I would like to raise awareness about the people that comprise the NHS,

the diversity, equality and inclusion. The images intend to inform the

public about the structure of nursing care by depicting the portraits in various uniforms.

The project depicts the multicultural environment that constitutes and represents the NHS in the year 2020. At the peak of the pandemic, nurses and the frontline medical staff were applauded as heroes of an unprecedented war with COVID-19. Soon after the peak of the pandemic, more than 540 health workers had died from COVID-19 in England and Wales, the highest in the world.

How would you describe your style of photography? Who are

your influences?

For this project, I use passport style photography in order to classify the healthcare providers and document their diverse face features. The viewer observes the images and is informed about the role, rank and place each face represents. I am influenced by Thomas Ruff, Martin Schoeller, Walead Beshty and Georgia Metaxas.

What do you believe is the role of art in challenging times like the ones we’re facing?

I believe that art has a significant impact on individual and collective health and wellbeing. It provides social connection and interaction,

which improves patients’ health outcomes, promotes wellbeing and strengthens communities.

ELAINE / Senior Clinical Nurse Specialist / BAND 8B / IRELAND

Jaycel / Staff Nurse / Band 5 / Philippines

Geraldine / Staff Nurse / Band 5 / Philippines

Kai / Healthcare Assistant / Band 2 / Grenada/Guyana

Why did you choose to study a BA Photography Top Up online with Falmouth Flexible?

Falmouth University offered me the flexibility I was looking for. I think I belong to the category of people with a lot of commitments such as family and work. Apart from the flexibility, it is a Top Up course and my previous experience in photography was assessed. I was granted two years’ credits towards a BA degree and I started in year three.

What surprised you the most about the course?

I was surprised by the structure of the course. Every module is well planned and provides the right knowledge and skills for the student in order to commence, produce, complete and inform a photographic project. Also, I would like to mention the interaction between the students and how interesting it was to see the evolution of other projects.

How has the Falmouth Flexible BA Top Up helped you develop your photography practice? What are your plans for after your Top Up?

The course has equipped me with essential knowledge and skills to inform my work. It helped me to channel my efforts and work towards specific directions rather being dispersed. My plan is to complete the project with the King’s portraits by the end of the year and deliver that imagery to

the hospital.

What would be your advice for someone thinking of studying a BA Top Up online with Falmouth Flexible?

I would say do not think of it, just enroll in the course. If you are thinking about this course, it means there is a reason you look at it. Go for it and see it as an amazing adventure.

AOIFE / IMOBILE NURSE / BAND 7 / IRELAND

NATALLEEN / CLINICAL SPECIALIST NURSE / BAND 7 / JAMAICA

SERBRINE / STAFF NURSE / BAND 5 / IRISH/GHANA

CHAVELL / HEALTH CARE ASSISTANT / BAND 2 / JAMAICA

DESMOND / CLINICAL HOUSE KEEPER / BAND 4 / WEST INDIES

Falmouth Flexible

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All photos copyright Elias Tsigounis, 2020