Ruth Campbell

Sproxton Award for Photography - 2013 winner

Ruth is interested in the everyday, annual rituals and the objects that integrate within it. She is interested in how objects and spaces can show personality traits or characteristics. Ruth Campbell is a graduate of MA Photography at London College of Communication and 2013 winner of the Sproxton Award for Photography.

The 2013 judges: Professor Val Williams (PARC) and Gemma Marmalade (MA Photography graduate 2011)

Artist statement

Once a year and now is a series of photographs that focus on the annual event of a birthday, specifically the homemade birthday cake.

The decoration of these cakes expresses parts of the mother and daughter’s personality. The images are a combination of family photographs that were never inserted into the ‘family album’, juxtaposed with new fabricated images.

By making the missing cakes that were never photographed and re-living the act of blowing out the candles, the images acknowledge and celebrate the care and attention shown by a mother in this yearly celebration.

Ruth is keen to highlight images that usually go unnoticed or are discarded, and has photographed in the style of the found images by her mother.