Bristol Vaccine posters - Press release & assets

Bristol documentary photographer captures some of the faces behind COVID-19 research

[Images below: see notes to editors]

The human stories behind Bristol scientists who are playing an important role in global efforts to overcome COVID-19 have been captured in a billboard campaign by a Bristol-based photographer.

The vaccine poster project is the brainchild of photographer - Tom Skipp - who wanted to portray through images some of the key people behind coronavirus research being carried out at the University of Bristol.

Tom was concerned by what he felt was a distrust of science and an anecdotal feeling that minority populations might be dissuaded to take a vaccine given a historic prejudice by institutions. Tom felt that the perception of the general public was that scientists aren’t like them and that they are usually only seen at lecterns next to government figures disseminating statistics that suggest the public could have their civil liberties cut.

The aim of Tom’s campaign is to connect science with the community and posters will be unveiled at five locations around Bristol today [Tuesday 27 April].  The posters will be on view to members of the public until Sunday 9 May 2021. 

In the project, Tom wanted to understand the very human stories and motivations of some of the key scientists working in Bristol and relate those to the people of Bristol on a street level.  

Tom Skipp, talking about his project, said: “These photographs are all taken where the people have been carrying out their work over the last year, in university labs, hospitals and at home. They’ve all been experiencing the daily struggles and burdens put upon all of us by the pandemic with the added pressure of having the capabilities to do something about it.”

Adam Finn, Professor of Paediatrics at Bristol, Director of the Bristol Vaccine Centre at Bristol Medical School and lead of Bristol UNCOVER (Bristol COVID Emergency Research Group), added: “I was delighted to be asked to be part of this thought-provoking vaccine poster project.  Vaccination against COVID-19 protects you very effectively against serious illness and death from the disease. It also makes you less likely to infect other people you come into contact with if you are exposed to the virus.”

In the design of the posters, the coronavirus protein spike, the part essential to be able to vaccinate against the disease, is used as inspiration to create the colour field that sit behind the words of the scientists.

Notes to editors:

Tom Skipp is a documentary photographer who works on self-initiated projects around the globe. His work has taken him to Bosnia, Chernobyl, Rwanda and North Korea. During the pandemic he's concentrated his focus on locally based projects that have worldwide ramifications. If you'd like further comment please email or call on +44 (0) 796 77 44 061. You can find his instagram here.

For further information or to arrange an interview with the University of Bristol scientists, please contact Joanne Fryer [Mon to Thurs], email joanne.fryer@bristol.ac.uk, mobile: +44 (0)7747 768805 at the University of Bristol.

Tom Skipp would like to thank all the participants in this project, the University of Bristol, University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW), Jack Arts and Kathleen Sedgley.

The poster locations and scientists photographed are:

• 92-98 Kingsland Rd, Bristol. BS2 0QZ– Drs Ore Francis, Research Associate and Rajeka Lazarus, a consultant in infectious diseases and microbiology at UHBW;

• 28 Stapleton Road, BS5 0QX - Dek Woolfson, Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Director of the Bristol BioDesign Institute;

• 34 Ashley Road, BS6 5NS - Adam Finn, Professor of Paediatrics at Bristol, Director of the Bristol Vaccine Centre at Bristol Medical School and lead of Bristol UNCOVER;

• 265 Church Road, BS5 9HU - Dr David Mathews, Reader in Virology;

• Trinity Road, BS2 0FJ - Dr Christy Waterfall, Senior Research Associate.

COVID-19 research outputs

A full list of University of Bristol research outputs relating to the COVID-19 pandemic is available online.

Bristol UNCOVER Group

In response to the COVID-19 crisis, researchers at the University of Bristol formed the Bristol COVID Emergency Research Group (UNCOVER) to pool resources, capacities and research efforts to combat this infection.

Bristol UNCOVER includes clinicians, immunologists, virologists, synthetic biologists, aerosol scientists, epidemiologists and mathematical modellers and has links to behavioural and social scientists, ethicists and lawyers.

Follow Bristol UNCOVER on Twitter at: twitter.com/BristolUncover

For more information about the University of Bristol’s coronavirus (COVID-19) research priorities visit: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/research/impact/coronavirus/research-priorities/