Nilupa Yasmin: On unconscious bias
In this episode we talk with Nilupa Yasmin about unconscious bias. Nilupa describes the conversations that have shaped her thinking around unconscious bias, accessibility, and representation. She explains why she makes work, how weaving has become an integral part of her practice, and how craft can be a form of activism. She goes on to discuss her approach to participatory work with communities, and she encourages artists to undertake training to ensure that they are well-equipped to take on their safeguarding responsibilities in that setting.
What does photography ethics mean to Nilupa?
“For me, ethics is having that common ground of understanding with the people that you are working with, or the subject that you’re working with, it doesn’t necessarily have to be people. But its also understanding that there is a lot of power in the camera, and while you’re the one that’s pointing it, you need to have that understanding in who they are and what they are comfortable sharing with you. … So I think it’s just being conscious at different varying points, and always understanding that these are real people that you’re working with. And like Anthony Luvera said, ‘be conscious of your unconscious bias.’” (40:09)
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Nilupa Yasmin is an award-winning artist and educator with a primarily lens-based practice. She explores the principles of art and craft and the expanded materiality within photography. Nilupa is interested in the notion of culture, self-identity, and anthropology. Whilst investigating ideals and traditions that are close to home, she draws upon her own identity through gender, religion and her British Bangladeshi culture and heritage. An element of her practice focuses on socially engaged photography, she works collaboratively with various communities to produce and curate works of Art.
Nilupa’s work is included in many permanent and private collections including the Government Art Collection, The New Art Gallery Walsall and Birmingham Museums Collection. She is Lecturer in Photography at Coventry University and has recently completed her MA in Photography Arts at University of Westminster.
Nilupa is a studio holder at Grand Union, Birmingham.
You can see her work at https://www.nilupayasmin.com