Reframe Collective an exhibition of protest photography at Glastonbury Festival in 2024. Credit: Talia Woodin.
Our Right to Protest is on a mission to defend one of the most fundamental parts of any healthy democracy.
The Campaign
The Our Right to Protest campaign raises awareness of rights violations against protestors, especially those engaged in environmental justice and defence in the UK, through photography. It aims to create an awareness that environmental activists are ordinary and relatable people, upholding the ecosystems that sustain us under extraordinary circumstances of duress and repression.
Through imagery, film, and personal storytelling, Talia Woodin has fore fronted this vision in the media, in Parliament, and speaking at the UN. Going beyond her individual campaigning, Talia founded a group of photographers and photojournalists, Reframe Collective, the majority of which are of marginalised identities, all engaged with movements for social change across the UK, helping to uplift, connect, resource and upskill participants, and exhibiting their work in nationally significant spaces such as Glastonbury Festival. Talia has had her visual and written work exploring the right to protest, social environmental campaigning shown in the Guardian, at the V&A, by organisations such as Lush and Ecosia, and has had wide impact through social media.
Talia poses for a portrait whilst in India in 2023, staying with the Van Gujjar, an Indigenous community in Uttarakhand. Credit: Talia Woodin.
As well as feeling deeply grateful for having been shortlisted for this award, alongside so many other incredible creatives and campaigners, I also feel a level of surreal discomfort. For me, the aim of this work has never been recognition or personal success, but a deep conviction and passion for working with others to make the world a better place, as cliche as that might sound. I wish there were more opportunity for collective recognition and awards on this level, but as these opportunities are few and far between, I excitedly accept being shortlisted for this award on behalf of myself and all those that I do this work with and for, without whom none of it would be possible.”
Talia Woodin
The Change
The campaign has created impact at various levels, from the grassroots to the highest levels of policy making in Parliament and the UN. Through strategic and creative communications, the campaign and Talia’s broader work has reached audiences of hundreds of thousands across social media, helping to educate the general public on issues pertaining to the right to protest, increasing people’s safety and access to this work. Talia has also been able to materially resource other documentarians exploring protest and social justice issues, so as to advance their work and better uplift marginalised voices. Finally, through engagement events with members of the House of Lords, Houses of Parliament, and delegates from the UN, the campaign has encouraged policy members to speak out against new legislation, suggesting amendments and encouraging them to have the confidence to campaign on these issues themselves.
The Future
The future of this campaign will continue to see collaborative efforts to mobilise with grassroots campaigners and NGO’s, in opposition to “increasingly draconian legislation.” Through Reframe Collective, efforts are being made into creating a toolkit and training on how to safely and ethically document protest and movements for social change, whilst further work with Not1More will contribute to public inquiries into the potential human rights breaches of anti-protest legislation. Finally, in a personal capacity, Talia is working on a number of documentary photography and film projects which will explore and uplift frontline voices engaged with social and environmental justice issues.
Who else was involved?
Justine, Fran, and Josie from Not1More; River from Reframe Collective; Katy Watts from Liberty; Katie de Kauwe from Friends of the Earth; Kill the Bill; StopHS2; and more.
