We are honoured to host Magpie in our London location from 19 - 30 January.
Created by Assistant Head of Photography for Lyon & Turnbull Helen Jones, Magpie is a deeply considered body of work that reflects on the experience of living within an unwell body. Begun in 2016, the project centres on Helen’s close friend Siobhan, who was living with cancer at the time. Rather than documenting illness, the photographs offer an emotional and intuitive response to the physical and psychological constraints imposed by the body when it no longer functions as expected.
The work speaks to the states of waiting, uncertainty and helplessness that often accompany terminal illness, while also holding space for tenderness, presence and care. Alongside the images, Siobhan’s own poetry offers a further layer of reflection, allowing her voice to sit in quiet dialogue with the photographs.
Siobhan passed away in 2019. Magpie stands as a testament not only to her life and experience, but also to the many people living with incurable illness. We are proud to share this work as both an act of remembrance and a celebration of Helen’s thoughtful and compassionate artistic practice.
