Fotonow CIC

Fotonow CIC uses  digital media and creative practices to enable people’s voices to be heard. We work with communities and groups to nurture possibility and ambition; we aim to create positive  change  and tangible outcomes for the communities we serve.

WHAT WE DO

Our social purpose is expressed through:

• Taking action to respond to climate change
• Delivering participatory media projects in Plymouth and the South West region
• Supporting individuals to develop skills and confidence
• Empowering underrepresented communities to tell their stories
• Reinvesting our profits to support these aims leading to positive social change.

We are environmentally conscious with a clear social purpose.

We deliver transformative media projects across the South West.

We support individuals to develop confidence and discover pathways.

We empower communities to tell their own stories.

We believe in change and re-invest our profits to support these aims.

HOW WE DO IT

• EDUCATE: Fotonow’s approach to learning is reflective and participatory We deliver creative workshops and educational projects from our headquarters and in our communities. Working with institutions, we offer fresh opportunities for students in higher education.
• EMPOWER: We advocate for participatory media practice and are part of the Socially Engaged Photography Network. We get people behind the camera to make their own photographs, films and stories. Elitist mass-media often mis-represent the views of ordinary people, in providing access to media we support people to take control of their own stories and be more discerning in the media they digest.
• ENTERTAIN: We like to collaborate with a diverse range of partners to make culture accessible and enjoyable. Based at Royal William Yard, our mobile outreach project, the Camper Obscura, entertains and engages the public through sharing the fundamentals of photography.
• PRESENT:  We present highly visible outcomes from projects in the form of public installations, encouraging people to both contribute to and experience visual culture outside of traditional gallery spaces. Our annual South West Graduate Photography Prize showcases the best emerging talent from photography courses across the region.
• SUSTAIN: We produce work to commission to sustain our business and support our community work. In buying from a social enterprise those that work with us help make a difference. We are a Living Wage Foundation and Disability Confident employer. We deliver our professional work while putting the environment first – having declared a Climate Emergency in 2019.