Leeds photographer explores grief and art in new Leeds International Festival of Ideas exhibition after losing brother to suicide

“You have to split your brain into two parts if you're photographing people,” says the 35-year-old, of Chapel Allerton. “It's making that person feel comfortable, and then also having the creative side of your brain switched on, thinking of where you’re going to put them and how you’re going to pose them.

“I just couldn't imagine myself being creative like that again and being able to be fun and interesting – because it was so far away from how I felt. I remember after he died, someone said to me that if you're at a party and he's in the room, he's the sort of person that you'd like to get to know. He was so fun and he was one of my best friends. It’s tragic.”

After losing Jack, conversations with other bereaved people helped Jo realise that creativity can be a coping mechanism, and grief can be a catalyst for creativity. Jo spoke to and photographed a wedding photographer who would capture nature when she was feeling low, and another woman would make headdresses. “I found those stories really amazing and inspiring. It gave me hope that you can feel creative again. It will always be painful, but it won't have to be quite as heavy as it feels at the beginning.”

In 2018, Jo met writer Faye Dawson, who had also lost someone close to her. Jo asked Faye to interview people she had photographed, providing stories to accompany the images. Projecting Grief grew from there, an online gallery that explores the profound connection between loss, creativity, and healing.

When Faye decided to take a step back from the project in 2022, Laura McDonagh joined the team as interviewer and writer. Laura, whose mother Anne passed away unexpectedly in 2019, was interviewed for Projecting Grief in 2020 about her writing on the subjects of family, identity, and home.

This month, Jo is putting on a free physical exhibition of people she has photographed as part of the project. The exhibition, in partnership with the Leeds International Festival of Ideas (LIFI23), focuses on the complexities of discussing loss and how art can be a medium for grieving. “It's not always about the person that died, it's also about the people that have survived that,” Jo says.

While Jo dealt with her grief using creative means following the loss of Jack, her parents, Liz and Charles Ritchie, co-founded the charity Gambling with Lives. The organisation, a community of families bereaved by gambling-related suicide, provides support and raises awareness of gambling disorder's devastating effects. Liz and Charles were both awarded MBEs in the 2023 New Year Honours List for their services to charity.

Meanwhile, Jo says she she feels “duty-bound” to the community Projecting Grief has created. It features people from all walks of life, and tells their stories and the creative hobbies and passions that are in memory of the people they have lost.

Building on the success of its online platform, Projecting Grief has taken over space in Victoria Gate until August 27. The exhibition is inviting viewers to immerse themselves in real-life stories of grief and art, alongside the opportunity to join creative workshops covering textile art, creative writing and paper flower making.

"Grief is an experience that touches us all, yet our society often struggles to openly address it,” Jo says. “Engaging in creative practices, in whatever form one chooses, can offer solace and a sense of manageability. We’ve spoken with so many people who have found comfort, hope, and distraction through their creative pursuits. By sharing their stories and work at the Leeds International Festival of Ideas, we hope to start a candid conversation about grief."

The exhibition forms part of the build-up to LIFI23’s panel discussion event ‘How do we talk about grief?’ featuring speakers including Dame Prue Leith and Will Young, taking place at Leeds Playhouse on September 30.

For full details of the exhibition and workshops, visit leedsinternationalfestival.com/event/projecting-grief-x-lifi-exhibition/