Exhibition, Museum of the Home, 12th June – 29th August 2021
Holding the Baby   

Header shot: Barbeline and Elijah, Holding the Baby, 2021, courtesy of Polly Braden

A striking new exhibition of work by photographer Polly Braden opened at the weekend at Museum of the Home. Holding the Baby takes an immersive look at the lived experience, challenges and strength of single parents facing austerity.

We spoke to Polly about her interest in not only capturing the image, but capturing something of the person in the picture too…

Your style of photography gives a real insight into its subjects – what drew you to documentary work rather than any other genre?

I’ve always been interested in people. When I worked at the Guardian, the picture editor would tell me off for taking too long, I’d want to find out all about a person before taking their picture.

Gemma with Freya, Jack & Elsie
Holding the Baby, 2021, courtesy of Polly Braden

What was your first camera, how old were you?

My first camera was a Canon. I took a small darkroom kit with me to China when I taught at a University in Yangzhou in my early twenties.

And are there any other photographers whose work inspired you?

I love Susan Meiselas amongst others.

Your latest project Holding the Baby highlights the lived experience of being a single parent – can you tell us how you came to be involved?

Three years ago I became a single parent. At the same time I saw a report by the UN expert on poverty, Philip Alston, who came to the UK to look at the effects of austerity. He concluded that single parents had been hardest hit by changes to tax and benefits since 2010. 

The overall impact of policy decisions taken between 2010 and 2017 has meant lone parents lose around 15% of their net income on average – almost £1 in every £6. By contrast, the losses for all other family groups is much smaller, from nothing to 8%.

Equality and Human Rights Commission research report: ‘Tax, welfare, social security and public spending: a cumulative impact assessment’, November 2017.

I started to look at some of the prejudices leading to policies that scrutinise and punish the parent who has stayed and decided to make a new body of work highlighting the strength and resilience of being a lone parent, in order to change the dialogue. One in four children in the UK live with a lone parent and over 90% of them are single mothers.

Holding the Baby, 2021, courtesy of Polly Braden

Aaron with his children Esme and Kai and partner Chloe
Holding the Baby, 2021, courtesy of Polly Braden

How do you build the trust you obviously have with people that allows you to capture quite personal aspects of their lives?

The first time I meet someone I very seldom take their photo. First we speak about the project, see what they think about it. Talk about how it might work, where the photos will be shown, look examples of other similar projects and previous work. Then they need some time to think it through. From then on, as with all relationships, they grow, slowly sometimes, more with some people than others, openly and through dialogue.

For this project in particular, what were the things that stood out to you as being most important to the people who took part?

Having a sense of control and understanding about how much they wanted to be involved, what the point of view was, how they would be seen, looking at the pictures and letting me know if something wasn’t right. For example, with Jana, for the first few months she didn’t want to be identified, so I shot all the photos with her facing away from the camera. Then she decided she wanted to show her face. One of the photos in the first edit was really strong but Jana spotted her bra strap showing. We reshot the image in a different outfit. The new image is one of the main images in the exhibition. She’s become really involved in the project, helping with research and we’ve spent a lot of time together.

Jana with Yaana
Holding the Baby 2021, courtesy of Polly Braden

How do you select and prepare your images for exhibition?

I make a first edit, then print lots out. I have a magnetic wall in my studio, so I put them up and live with them for a bit. Some keep resonating, others less so. Then it’s great to see other peoples reaction to the photos and it tends to be quite a quick process of pulling the best ones out. Sometimes you go back to files years later and realise you missed good ones but generally the ones you pick start to have a life of their own, if they have that magic, their power grows.

And how does it feel to be able to have your work seen again in person with lockdown restrictions starting to lift?

It’s really exciting to be working towards showing this work at the museum. I can hardly even let myself imagine a lively opening with people in the gallery, it feels a world ago that we gathered in for exhibitions.

Holding the Baby, 2021, courtesy of Polly Braden

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A series of portraits and interviews conducted over a year long participatory project, Polly’s images are accompanied by text from Claire-Louise Bennett and Sally Williams.

The exhibition will tour to Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool and Arnolfini, Bristol, as part of the Museum of the Home’s new dynamic contemporary programme and mission to reveal and rethink the way we live in order to live better together.

Holding the Baby runs from 12th June – 29th August 2021

Museum of the Home – 136 Kingsland Road, London E2 8EA (the museum entrance is opposite Hoxton Station, on Geffrye Street)
Opening times: Tuesday – Sunday, 10am to 5pm. Entry is free but, for now, all visitors, including babies, children, Friends and Patrons, need to book a timed ticket in advance. Please check the website for any updates before visiting.

All images and exhibition details are reproduced with permission from Flint Culture and are under the copyright of Polly Braden.

Interview by Siobhan

15th June 2021