Barbara Balmer

Barbara was born in Wigan, Lancashire in 1966 and Educated in England. On completing a two year Art Foundation Course she entered the work place as a Graphic Designer, spending 19 years employed as a Visualiser, Art Director and Creative Executive. After many years of working with other photographers imagery the need for self expression and communication through the medium of photography grew. It became a need, rather than a desire, that led to Barbara giving up her career and returning to study on the Mid Cheshire College Contemporary Photography FD Course. She has just completed a top up year to full B.A. (Hons) in Fine Art and Photography.

Barbara has recently worked on a collaborative project with Canadian writer BI Bonita, Reflections of Lust and Lucidity.

"This project addresses a few issues for me. Last year I started to read John Berger's Ways of Seeing. A few comments in this book unsettled me, this work is a visualisation of a conversation about his views on the representation of the female nude in art and a wider comment on politics of the flesh."

"Working on this long project gave me time to think about things more; from the very basic question of why and who do I make images for, to does being a photographe...