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Photographic exhibition depicting the after-effects of road crashes opens in Belfast

12 April 2007

A photographic exhibition featuring crash scenes and portraits of people affected by the loss of loved ones is opening at the Space Gallery at Conway Mill in Belfast on May 11, 2007.

Entitled 'When Lives Collide', the travelling exhibition by award-winning photographer Paul Wenham-Clarke, is sponsored by Green Flag Motoring Assistance, and features a collection of images showing the horror of car crashes and the effect they have on people's lives. This exhibition has already visited six cities across the UK, having opened in Birmingham in October 2006, and comes to Belfast for the last leg of its extremely successful tour.

Thought-provoking and often chilling images attempt to cut through the statistics to take a personal and emotional look at this ever-present issue. According to PSNI statistics*, more than three people are killed or seriously injured on Northern Ireland roads every day with almost 8,500 people killed or injured every year.

'When Lives Collide' runs from Friday May 11 to Tuesday May 29, 2007. The exhibition debuted at London's Oxo Gallery in January 2006 and has since appeared at The Association of Photographer's Gallery in London, Birmingham's Custard Factory, Edinburgh's ESU Gallery, Swansea's Mission Gallery, Newcastle's Biscuit Factory and The Exhibition Space in Leeds.

The exhibition contains some shocking and controversial images of crash scenes, which have been created using actors and make-up. This has been done in an attempt to make the public realise how terrible crash scenes really are. However, the majority of the work features portraits of the bereaved and seriously injured alongside, in their own words, an account of the events and their emotions.

"The people featured in the exhibition have been terribly injured or in many cases bereaved. Either way their lives have been devastated," said Paul Wenham-Clarke, who spent six months meeting with his subjects and gaining their trust.

"The emotional consequences of these devastating collisions radiate out like waves on a pond. Mothers and fathers are left wondering why they have outlived a child and lovers are separated forever with no opportunity to even say goodbye," he added.

Exhibition sponsor, Green Flag, puts safety at the heart of its roadside rescue and recovery service and supports a number of national and community initiatives including Road Safety Week, taking place in November 2007. Spokesperson for Green Flag, Nigel Charlesworth, commented: "Green Flag is all too aware of the issues 'When Lives Collide' raises and we realise that there is a very real need to support Paul Wenham-Clarke's striking and challenging work which will hopefully make drivers think about their behaviour."

Paul Wenham-Clarke worked with RoadPeace, a charity for bereaved and injured road crash victims, who introduced him to their work, to the plight of road victims and to the victims themselves, who were willing to participate and who see this exhibition as an important acknowledgement of their loss and suffering and an honour to their loved ones.

'When Lives Collide' opens at The Space Gallery, Conway Mill, 5/7 Conway Street, Belfast, BT13 2DE on Friday May 11 and runs until Tuesday May 29. Admission is free.

For more information visit www.greenflag.com and for high resolution images visit www.whenlivescollide.co.uk

ENDS

Notes to editors

Source: * PSNI Injury Road Traffic Collisions Statistical Report No 7 01.04.05 to 31.03.06.

About Paul Wenham-Clarke

Paul Wenham-Clarke (43) is a commercial photographer based in Newbury. He has won many major awards for his commercial work including Overall Winner of the 2006 AoP (Association of Photographers) Open Competition and Professional Photographer Magazine's Professional Photographer of the Year 2006. Paul decided to undertake an MA at Nottingham Trent University so he could take on a major personal project, 'When Lives Collide'.

Paul worked on 'When Lives Collide' with RoadPeace, a charity that acts as a support group for people bereaved and seriously injured by road traffic incidents and campaigns for safer roads.

About Green Flag

Green Flag Motoring Assistance provides roadside rescue and recovery to 5m customers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Green Flag's incident management centre in Leeds manages around 1m breakdown incidents each year.

Media contacts

Philippa Naylor, Green Flag, Tel: 0113 399 1387 or philippa.naylor@ukipartnerships.com
Emma Kirkaldy, Smart Association, Tel: 0870 403 6499 or email: emma@smartassoc.co.uk
Paul Wenham-Clarke, Tel: 01635 34966/07721 902 670 or email: paul@wenhamclarke.com

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