So ‘Big Brother’ (published with Dewi Lewis ) officially launched, with a signing at Photo London the 18th of this month (and is now available to buy in shops and direct from Dewi, or me here.)
Big Brother is a book exploring my brother Justin’s struggle with Schizophrenia, see bottom for synopsis.
Its been an amazing journey, from Kick Starting the book successfully in October 2017 to seeing the book beautifully reproduced in print, and receiving so many kind and warm words of support ( see the Twitter and Instagram feeds). Most importantly, the toughest reviewers, Justin and Jackie, both tell me they like the book.
I’m using this blog page to recap and summarize some of the latest happenings around the project , click here for future events. If you are able to support the work or let your audiences know about this important resource please do share or contact me on how you can help.
The work was exhibited at Circulations Festival Paris, Summer 2017, a festival devoted to European photography. it was Renaissance Prize winner October 2017 In the same year reviewed in British Journal of Photography , Source; and Le Monde (download) have run it over 8-10 pages in their Portfolio section.
Official press release can be downloaded here and A short film; and more pictures are on my website, here
Thank you as always for your support,
L.
SYNOPSIS
An estimated 1 in 4 of us will suffer from a mental illness during our lifetime. Those suffering have to face a wall of
stigma and stereotyping which can often make their condition worse.
Big Brother is an intimate photographic portrait of Louis Quail’s older brother, Justin, and his daily struggle with
schizophrenia. The condition is severe and Justin has been sectioned three times in his life. Yet, as the book shows,
there is much more to him than his illness. He has interests, hobbies (painting and poetry and especially
birdwatching). He also has love; he has been with his girlfriend, Jackie, for over 20 years.
By showing the person beyond the illness, Big Brother challenges stigma head on. It reveals a system in crisis;
under resourced and creaking under the weight of its own bureaucracy, but it also discovers important truths on
the nature of resilience. At its heart, though, Big Brother is a love story.
The book includes extensive texts to tell Justin’s story. The complexity of his life is reflected in the complex structure
of the book which incorporates a number of inserts that provide a deep insight into Justin’s world through extracts
from medical reports, police records and from his own notebooks. The book also includes many of Justin’s
drawings and paintings as well as a separate booklet featuring both these and his poetry.