Caroline Flack and Amanda Holden among celebrities in mental health portrait campaign
Photographs of Caroline Flack, Amanda Holden, Dr Alex George and Holly Willoughby are to be featured in a mental health project exhibiting the faces of celebrities over a decade.
The portraits – all featuring those involved with their eyes closed as they intimately take a moment to themselves – are shot by Ray Burmiston and will be presented by Art of London as Take A Moment 2022.
The moving image of Flack, who died in February 2020 at the age of 40, will also be joined by one of her close friend and successor Love Island presenter Laura Whitmore, alongside dozens more portraits.
These include Liam Gallagher, Kate Moss, Helena Bonham Carter, David Walliams, Olivia Colman, Anthony Joshua, James Corden, Joe Wicks and Gary Barlow, to name but a few.
Ex-Love Island contestant and Ambassador for Mental Health Dr Alex George will also be featured in the project, as someone who's done much to raise awareness about the subject, including sharing his own struggles, following the passing of his younger brother Llŷr, who was just 19 when he died by suicide in July 2020.
Dr Alex said, "I'm thrilled to feature in Art of London and Ray Burmiston's stunning photography exhibition, which bravely addresses the importance of looking after our mental health.
"I'm proud to be one of hundreds of celebrities captured by Ray, who closed their eyes on camera in a moment of personal reflection.
"This is such an important initiative and I hope Ray's photographer encourages everyone to take a moment to think about their mental health."
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Art of London Presents: Take A Moment 2202 is a free exhibition and will run throughout March until early April digitally on the Piccadilly Lights in London and in a real-life gallery directly underneath. Landsec, owner of the lights, is donating the screen time, while the event space is being supported by Westminster City Council.
Photographer and project creator Burmiston said, "The exhibition has been created from a decade of outtakes from the studio where I asked my subjects to close their eyes for a few seconds, to refresh their connection with the camera.
“The portraits capture a variety of different responses from powerful moments of self-reflection to something more whimsical and playful, allowing us to see these well-known faces in a different light.
“I have been overwhelmed by the public response and I hope the new exhibition will continue to highlight the importance of mental health awareness.”
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Burmiston's website also explains that, coupled with the celebrity photos, and then "mashed together with selfies uploaded by the public', it expanded from hundreds of photos to thousands of photos, promoting the message: 'we're all in this together', 'whilst raising vital funds and awareness for leading UK mental health charity, Mind. A little piece of 2020 history."
The full list of stars featured is yet to be released, while West End performers were also photographed for the exhibition, at locations such as The Wolseley, Burlington Arcade, Magic Mike Live at The Hippodrome and The Odeon Luxe in Leicester Square.
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Businesses in the West End, including the Burlington Arcade and Waterstones, also plan to feature some of the portraits to support the mental health campaign.
The exhibition will come to an end in early April with a 10-minute video of hundreds of celebrity and public portraits, all curated by Burmiston.
Additional reporting by PA.
