In March 2025, Fellows Sam Lambert and Barry Phipps opened a call to all members of Churchill College – students, staff and Fellows – to participate in a spontaneous visual art project designed to celebrate and reflect the contemporary life of the College community.
On March 20th for three one hour windows at 08.00, 12.00 and 16.00, anyone passing through the Buttery – a vibrant social space and one of the central gathering points on campus – was asked if they would like to have their portrait taken. This provided an open opportunity to take part in a moment of shared visibility.
The result is a collection of 35 portraits capturing a cross-section of college life:
- 10 undergraduate students
- 5 postgraduate students
- 9 academic Fellows
- 11 College staff members
Displayed in the Bill Brown Creative Workshops Project Space and along the Concourse, these portraits form a collective snapshot, at once casual and curated, of Churchill College as it is today.
Each image is both individual and communal, offering a glimpse into the people who animate the College’s daily rhythms, relationships and shared spaces. A Contemporary Portrait of the College Community serves as a reminder that institutions are shaped not only by their spaces and histories, but by the people who inhabit them now. It is a celebration of presence, spontaneity, and the simple act of showing up.
The exhibition opened with a drinks reception at the Bill Brown Creative Workshops, at which Fellow and award-winning poet Bhanu Kapil performed a new poem written especially to mark the exhibition. It runs until July 11th. Members of the Churchill College community who have been inducted into the BBCW can access the building using their fob, and other members (and the wider public) can view the portraits within the BBCW by emailing [email protected] and making an appointment.
