Street View: Sheffield seen by the city’s homeless people

An exhibition of photographs and texts at Sheffield's Winter Garden, created by users of the city's Cathedral Archer Project, will offer visitors unfamiliar perspectives on Sheffield's people, buildings, streets and open spaces.

Street View, a creative arts project led by national education charity The Open College of the Arts (OCA), was commissioned earlier this year as part of the city's Off the Shelf Festival of Words. The 20 images on display at the exhibition in the Winter Garden in the city centre and further images on streetviewuk.me, the Street View blog, are the culmination of the five-month project.

Exhibition dates: 26 – 31 October

Venue: The Winter Garden, 90 Surrey Street, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S1 2LH

Time: 8am – 8pm Monday to Saturday (6pm Sunday)

Entry: free

The aim of Street View was to give users of the Cathedral Archer Project experience as creative artists in interpreting a brief, producing work and putting on a public exhibition. Professional photographer Mark Harvey and Open College of the Arts photography tutor and curator Andrew Conroy have been working with users of the Cathedral Archer Project since June as they capture their personal vision of the city.

The approach to creating images was low-tech from the very beginning. The photographers worked with disposable cameras on 35mm film. A high street one-hour photo developer processed the films as each camera was used. That meant the photographers could see their work when they met each Monday afternoon, making decisions about what to take next and which shots to put forward for the public exhibition.

The photographs in the Winter Garden and online exhibitions appear as they were taken, with no adjustment or embellishment. Professional photographic laboratory Sheffield's Peak Imaging took on the role of producing the prints.

Street View is taking place in the centenary year of the birth of OCA's founder, social entrepreneur Michael (later Lord) Young. He set up the Open College of the Arts in 1987, determined that everyone should have the chance to study the creative arts at higher level, regardless of their qualifications.

Speaking at the preview of the exhibition at Sheffield's Off the Shelf festival at the Millennium Gallery this week, OCA Chair of Trustees and Dean of Sheffield The Right Reverend Peter Bradley said: 'Looking at James Tyrell's 'Deer Shelter' in the Yorkshire Sculpture Park has, over several years, taught me to see the sky differently. I hope that people who come to the Street View exhibition will, in the same way, come to see the city of Sheffield differently.'

Tweet about Street View: #streetviewsheffield

About OCA: OCA has over 2,500 students studying subjects including photography, fine art, painting, textiles, creative writing, visual communications and music. All OCA higher-level qualifications are validated by the University for the Creative Arts.

About Off the Shelf: Off the Shelf is one of the largest literary festivals in the UK, attracting some of the best known names in literature and media to Sheffield each year. The festival programme is wide ranging and offers over 200 events for all ages.

About The Cathedral Archer Project: the Cathedral Archer Project helps homeless people achieve a better life. Its services include in-house nurse and dental clinics, access to hot food, drinks and food parcels, showers and laundry, a programme of activities to help people learn skills and enjoy new experiences, and support to attend drug and alcoholic treatment services.