Second Skin addresses the ambiguity of identity and the human capacity for social disguise. Through their photographic exploration Strand Collective have come to see these not as a form of deception but rather a natural and necessary adaptation enabling people to manage complex social and psychological situations.

Second Skin is a collection of documentary photography projects by Strand Collective exhibited at this year’s Brighton Photo Fringe Festival at No Walls Gallery and released in a self‐published 28 page book.

For their debut exhibition, Strand Collective have created a body of photographic work exploring the ways in which identity is shaped by complicated social, family and environmental demands. Each collective member has interpreted ‘Second Skin’ from their own point of view, encouraging viewers to question their own unique position in the world and to create conversation around the different roles they play. As we each explore different areas of our life, such as our identity in the workplace, our private, secret lives, the ethereal world of dreams or the concrete and glass around us, Strand Collective questions what we take for granted, peels away the layers and asks the audience to look into what it is that makes up identity.

Strand Collective consists of seven photographers based in Manchester and Yorkshire; Peter Barker, Simon Bray, Geoff Brokate, Joseph Brotherton, Zuza Grubecka, Tristan Poyser and Ruby Robinson, with the aim of exploring personal and social identity through photography. Created through Redeye, the Photography Network's Lightbox programme and currently under the mentorship of Dewi Lewis of Dewi Lewis Publishing. Second Skin is supported by Arts Council England.

Image: Ruby Robinson