Michelle Sank

Can you introduce us to My.Self. Where is this series based? What did the local charity you collaborated with want to accomplish with this series? 

This series is based in the location of West Bromich which sits within what is known as The Black Country here in the UK. This area used to be regarded as a leading industrial region producing steel and coal to brick and iron in its many factories, forges and foundries but now some of its towns are economically challenged. My remit was to document the diversity of young people living in the area – what it means to be a young person in today’s society as well as living in this part of the UK - to embrace all aspects of social strata and cultural differences that exist there. I am interested in how adolescence is marked by rites of passage that are reflective of cultural values and how this is expressed within ethnically diverse communities.

In a region that was once regarded as a leading industrial region, how did documenting the youth help you understand what ramifications of the economic shift fall upon them? How did studying a diverse group of people help expose the differences in bearing these ramifications from neighborhood to neighborhood?

It was interesting to see the different conditions and how some situations were more economically challenged than others. This was evident in the different neighbourhoods I frequented. Some of the refugee families I visited were quite compromised within their living situations.

How did you select and find your subjects for My.Self? Were participants eager to participate? Were there any difficulties in this process that you had to overcome?

Multistory assigned me a researcher to find participants willing to take part by contacting social, ethnic and religious organisations, colleges, youth groups, youth support centres and all depended on the young people being eager to participate. In addition to this primary research I also approached some of them directly at places like the local college and youth activity clubs. However there were instances when the young people did not turn up for shoots and we had to work with this uncertainty.

Can you share about the questionnaire you gave them? What questions were on it and how did gathering their answers inform your understanding of what it might be like to grow up in The Black Country?

This was organised by Multistory and between us we came up with questions that we thought would be relevant to ask. The answers definitely illustrated what it is like to grow up in this area but over and above this it also informed me about the challenges of being a young person in contemporary society today.

In your series My.Self how did the contents of one’s bedroom help us understand their identity? In what ways did you collaborate with each participant to include what was in the frame to represent their identity?

For this series I was clear that I wanted to take the portraits in their bedrooms so that the decoration, objects and furniture were not only an expression of their social and cultural identity but also their individuality and vision for how they expressed themselves at this point in their lives. In most cases the size of the rooms and the available light dictated the latitude of where I could photograph. With some of the shoots it was clear what they should wear – for example, Georgia the Irish Dancer, but in other situations we collaborated with different clothing choices in order to ensure that the portrait and environment would have the strongest outcome in reflecting their interests and presence.

What draws you to photograph a person? How do you create a space in which they feel comfortable to open up to you? What advice would you give to someone who is just beginning to photograph people they don’t know?

It is normally that I tune into something special about that person in their being. I think this emanates from my own life experiences and how this connection comes together at that moment. There is a wonderment for me when I find this and I think the feeling is transmitted to the person I am working with so there is a balanced sense of collaboration and mutual respect. I would advise always trying to treat people with respect and to remain sensitive to their situations.

To keep up to date with Michelle’s latest work visit

Website: http://www.michellesank.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sank_michelle/

Commissioned and produced by Multistory