Open Source Community Celebrated by OpenUK State of Open Photography Exhibition Sponsored by Arm
- New photo exhibition “State of Open: The UK in 2023” showcases 38 of the leading individuals that contribute to Open Source Software and community leadership
- Exhibition photographed by D&AD One To Watch Winner Tiana Lea will take place at State of Open Con conference on 7 and 8 February, sponsored by Arm
- Plans for further viewings at various locations throughout 2023
OpenUK, the not-for-profit organisation representing the UK’s Open Technology sector, today announced its State of Open: The UK in 2023 Photo Exhibition which will feature 38 members of the open source community that have contributed to the development of the open source sector in the UK. The exhibition has been shot by Tiana Lea, one of the UK’s most gifted new photographers and listed as One to Watch by D&AD.
This exhibition is sponsored by Arm and provides an opportunity to show the breadth of experience, expertise and insight that exists across the UK around open source software, covering contributors involved in areas including code contribution and community management through to legal and policy, security and data issues. Alongside the photos, the participants provided stories on their journeys into open source, historical recollections and personal stories as well as more technical overviews for a video memorial.
“I instigated this exhibition to support the UK’s Open Source Software community and show how much diverse talent exists across the country in this ever growing part of the tech sector. This includes people who create the code behind projects that we all benefit from in our daily lives, through to individuals responsible for the legal and policy understanding that supports effective deployment of Open Source Software and for evangelising around the potential of Open Source Software for the future. This community comes in all shapes and sizes rocking a variety of looks. We are a very diverse community. I want people to recognise this and to understand that everyone has a place in the Open Source Software community.
We would like to thank Arm for sponsoring this exhibition and helping make this possible and to give a shout out to Tiana Lea and the team of students working with her who supported the shoot,” said Amanda Brock, CEO at OpenUK.
“As a 25-year-old photographer early in their career, having the opportunity to shoot such a dynamic and eclectic group of people was a privilege in many ways. Not only did their diversity make each shot brim with individuality, the Open Source Software community were such lovely people – I’ve made some great memories: I always let the model choose the music during their shoot, and my consequent playlist these past few months has varied from the Spice Girls and 70s disco, to Black Sabbath and the Notorious B.I.G.! I have had such a great time getting to know the Open Source Community; even though their portraits are in black and white, it definitely doesn’t stop their colourful, vibrant personalities from coming through,” said Tiana Lea, photographer, Greenwich University.
“Software today is one of the most powerful forces in society, orchestrating world-changing experiences that impact the way we live, learn, work and play on every device from smartphones to cars to supercomputers; and these experiences are being built on Arm,” said Mark Hambleton, vice president of open source software, Arm. “Open source software makes it easier, faster and more efficient to build and create digital technology, but it relies on people at its heart, not only developers but also community builders, lawyers, marketers and more. It’s a pleasure to support the UK’s Open Source Software Community in this milestone celebration of some of its leading figures.” added Andrew Wafaa, Senior Director Software Communities and Fellow at Arm.
The exhibition will be on display at the State of Open Con conference, taking place on 7th and 8th February 2023 at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre, London. Following the conference, the display will move to The National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park.
