Residents asked to submit photos of favourite places

Sunderland residents are being asked to submit photos of local places that matter to them as part of a city-wide photography project.

From Our House to Yours, delivered by Culture House Sunderland, is a celebration of people's personal landmarks in the city.

Selected photographs submitted by the community will be exhibited in Culture House Sunderland as part of the venue's opening programme.

As part of the wider project, five photographers were commissioned to capture images of different areas of Sunderland. The images captured by these photographers will be displayed at an exhibition in the EXPO Pavilion in Keel Square from 21 October - 2 November.

Cllr Beth Jones, Cabinet Member of Communities, Culture and Tourism at Sunderland City Council, said: "This is a fantastic opportunity for residents to get creative and also shine a light on the places that mean something to them in the city - from the obvious to the overlooked.

"That could be the location of a special moment in their life; where they take friends or family when they're visiting; or the places that make people feel like they're 'home'.

"We know that culture isn't confined to venues and doesn't start and stop at the doors - it lives across the city, in the stories we share and the places we carry with us. We're thrilled to be able to give people the chance to shine a spotlight on those places that are special to them in our fantastic new venue."

Sel MacLean was one of those commissioned to photograph an area of the city as part of the project.

He said: "I wanted to photograph Washington because it's so close to home, but I realised I didn't actually know much about it. After spending a couple of days there, I started uncovering a rich history full of surprising stories and places, from Washington Old Hall's connection to George Washington to Bowes Railway, one of the world's earliest modern railways. I found something curious in every spot I visited."

As part of the project, Culture House Sunderland will be running free iPhone photography workshops in five areas of the city, giving people of all ages the chance to get involved, learn new skills, and enjoy getting out and about to take photos of places they love.

The exhibition of commissioned work taking place in the EXPO Pavillion will feature large-scale printed images representing different areas of Sunderland, a curated digital slideshow of photos - displayed on screens inside the Pavilion, and selected images shown on the big screen above.

Details about the exhibition and how to submit your own photos can found at https://culturehousesunderland.co.uk/from-our-house-to-yours/