The Classroom Portrait Series by British photographer Julian Germain: A Worldwide Perspective on School

[ITEN]

This ongoing series featuring Classroom Portraits began in schools in North East England in 2004 and was extended to schools throughout the UK the following year. Since 2005 the archive has grown to include schools from North and South America, Europe and the Middle East.

“….the power of the images is in their direct connection to the viewer. We remember our own schooldays and wonder what happened to our own classmates. By presenting different pupils, different schools, different year groups, Germain asks questions about contemporary educational practices and social divisions. Already we can imagine the life trajectories of some of these young people. Here are faces full of hope and promise. Here also, is the silent threat of failure. Aspiration competes with apathy…..”
Tom Shakespeare. Archive Magazine, October 2005

 

Check the pictures here:

http://www.juliangermain.com/projects/classrooms.php