On Tuesday 7 July, we celebrated the launch of Looking Closer, an exhibition of photography by Compass School students at Southampton Central Library.
The work was created during weekly In Focus sessions, where students explored the library’s extensive art and photography collection and used the work of established artists and photographers as inspiration for their own images.
Across the sessions, students experimented with different approaches to photography, including abstract, nature and street photography, developing their own creative responses to what they discovered in the library’s collection.
The finished photographs are now on display at Southampton Central Library, alongside the collection that helped inspire them.
We’re delighted with the work the students have created and loved seeing it come together as an exhibition. A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for the launch and helped celebrate the students and their work!
Looking Closer is free to visit at Southampton Central Library until 27 August 2026.
During a trip supported by The Blagrave Trust, In Focus participants visited Toynbee Hall to see work from the And Everything In Between exhibition before heading to the Hayward Gallery
This post was written by a young person completing a six-month work placement with In Focus through Artswork’s Breakthrough Programme. In the post, they reflect on a team visit to
In Focus delivered a zine-making workshop for Breakout Youth as part of the Pride in the Shirt initiative, helping LGBTQAI+ young people explore creativity and inclusion.
