Moments of Connections
This diverse and poignant exhibition celebrates moments of connections throughout our lives and the influence they have on how we see the world.
It is made up of three parts, Connections by Colourful Perspectives, Capturing the Moment by The Light Group and A Visual Journey by Dawit Toomay, all of who are part of Lowry’s Socially Engaged Arts programme.
The Socially Engaged Arts programme is a strand of Lowry’s Learning and Engagement that works to reduce barriers for young people across Salford so that they can access creative activities and high quality art. The programme takes a long-term approach to engage young people from various backgrounds in creative opportunities. It prioritises care-experienced young people, young carers and young people at risk of homelessness.
Connections by Colourful Perspectives
Colourful Perspectives is a group of young people aged 11 – 17 who come to Lowry every Tuesday to catch up, learn new skills and make art. They describe themselves as creative, friendly, fun and exciting.
To bring “connections” to life through their artwork, each member picked their own art form and inspiration to explore the theme. Whether it’s celebrating bonds with friends and family, highlighting hobbies and heroes who inspire them, or diving into meaningful stories that resonate with them – each person brings their unique perspective to life for this exhibition.
Capturing the Moment by The Light Group
The Light Group is a group of young people aged 16 and over who meet weekly on Thursday evenings at their supported accommodation to get creative and share ideas, skills and stories with one another. For the exhibition, the group set out on a mission to capture their life in photographs, finding the fascinating and fantastic in the everyday.
They explored the concept of connecting spaces through story-telling photography, coming back with images of days out, culture, nature and pets. This is a sneak peek into life in Salford, conscious little moments captured through photos that speak a thousand words.
A Visual Journey by Dawit Toomay
Dawit Toomay is an emerging photographer and filmmaker in Salford who was awarded the Sir Rod Aldridge Trailblazer Award in January 2025.
Dawit first came across Lowry through outreach music sessions when he took the opportunity to take candid photos of others in the group recording their tracks and filmed and edited music videos to go alongside the new music. Since then, Dawit has developed his own skills by practicing photography and filmmaking any chance he gets.
This is a collection of Dawit’s photos as he’s been exploring the local area, building his skills and knowledge at the same time as capturing the essence and the energy of the north. These are some of Dawit’s favourite shots that he’s taken while experimenting and honing his skills.
Dawit also wrote about his journey moving from Addis in Ethiopia to Manchester and created a video montage of clips he had taken during that journey.
