In this episode, we talk with Anthony Luvera about collaborative representation. He provides an insight into his approach to collaborative work, what collaboration means to him, and the interplay between collaboration and representation. Anthony explores his early roots in collaborative photography and how they led him to the socially-engaged work he does today. In particular, he describes his work with people experiencing homelessness and how he has formulated ethical processes to aid collaboration. Anthony also dives into his thoughts on ethical issues such as paying participants and participant consent.What you’ll find inside:‘I’m really interested in using photography in a way where I’m able to involve or invite participants to co-create the work that I’m making with and about them.’ (2.00)‘This idea of consent is a dialogue. And just because a participant may say yes, it doesn’t preclude them from having the capacity or right to say no and to withdraw that consent.’ (10.26)‘What’s more important is not necessarily the duration that one has to work within, but rather is the clarity of the invitation and the sharing of information with the participants.’ (15.39)‘I think the thing to remember, for me, is that it’s not about someone taking part in a project. More importantly, it’s about a relationship with a person and keeping the value of what you’re doing in check - particularly when I’m working with people who are experiencing homelessness.’ (18.40)On his photography workshop with people experiencing homelessness: ‘People came with all kinds of questions… why are you doing this? What’s in it for me? What will I get out of this? Are you making money out of this? How can I make money out of this? What is this for?’ (21.55)‘I can see now that my earliest experiences of photography have been about enabling other people’s knowledge of photography and generating enthusiasm for photography.’ (24.02)On the ethical considerations of paying participants: ‘Often the participants that I work with are on benefits, and any kind of formal payments to them would adversely affect their capacity to continue to receive those benefits. So thinking creatively about how one [pays a participant ethically], whether that’s through gift vouchers or whether that’s cash in hand.’ (28.58)‘I think it’s also important to be really open about your intentions and to be really willing and flexible about adjusting your intentions to really take on board the feedback from participants.’ (33.20)What does photo ethics mean to Anthony?‘For me, photography ethics - ethics in general - is a continual questioning of is this the best possible way to use photography? Are there other ways we can use photography? And in doing so, what kinds of challenges might that present? I often think about the work of Martha Rosler - the writing of Martha Rosler as much as her photographic practise - and in particular, a statement that she wrote in her essay Post-Documentary Post-Photography? where she speaks about representational responsibility, and the kind of responsibility that is incumbent upon a photographer or any kind of cultural producer. To really take into consideration the information they convey through their practise and how they go about taking in hand the decisions they make in relation to disseminating the work, in relation to speaking about the work, as well as how the work itself is created and what it depicts. I think it’s about keeping your intentions in check, it’s about considering the context in which you disseminate the work, it’s about how you create that work.’LinksArt on the UndergroundConstruct (project with GRAIN and SIFA Fireside)In Conversation Not Going ShoppingGravitasMermaids UKCrisisThe Bowery in two inadequate descriptive systems by Martha Rosler ResidencyPhotography for Whom magazinePost-Documentary, Post-Photography? by Martha Rosler

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