SHE BUILDS UK is the brainchild of Neil Perry, a professional photographer of architecture, design and the wider built environment. When Neil explained to his seven-year-old daughter Jessie that she could do any job she wanted to when she had grown up, Jessie replied “I can’t be a builder. Only men are builders”. This statement led Neil to think about how he could combine his role as a professional photographer with his professional connections to make a difference to the mindset that Jessie had formed.
From Neil, “Any parent knows the responsibility that comes with the role. But I believe being a dad to a daughter increases that level of responsibility - it’s possibly given me my first real understanding of some of the challenges females have to face in life. Equally, through my work I have met women in roles that I know they have worked hard to break down barriers for. And it’s these individuals that I want to bring to the surface and shine a light on. For Jessie and her peers. I don’t want my daughter to grow up in a world where misconceptions limit the career she chooses.”
SHE BUILDS UK uses portrait photography to shine a light on female role models from within the construction industry, highlighting their stories, their challenges and their successes to inspire others to join and learn more about opportunities available within the industry. The exhibition will be composed of a collection of printed photographs and digital display inspiring women / girls into the built environment industry, but also changing perceptions among the general public about who works and could work in the built environment sector
