Diversity Is ... Champions Portraits

OBV’s General Election photographer, Shahid Bashir recently launched his exciting photographic exhibition, ‘Diversity is ...’.We at OBV wish Shahid well with this project that sets out to move the issue of diversity beyond samosas and curried rice, and into an area of excellence, dynamism, and above all humanity.

As part of KPMG's internal Inclusion Week 2015 they will be hosting an exhibition of portraits which will focus on diversity within business, and feature thoughts and images from business leaders, managers and agents of change.

The project is an exploration into the corporate brand of diversity and asks,

How is diversity as a business concept perceived and as management practice, how is it experienced?"

It challenges and elucidates on the misconceptions that many still have in relation to diversity and expounds on the value of rethinking leadership, processes and systems to create workplace cultures and workforce behaviours that are inclusive and embrace difference in the broadest sense of the word.

The exhibition consists of a collection of fine art, photographic portraits which have been taken in a particular style moving away from the happy, smiley corporate portraits we are all used to seeing. Using a contemporary black and white film noir style, featuring hard light and stark contrast, the intention behind the style of portraiture is to reflect the notion that the concept of diversity is not merely black and white it’s also about the grey areas in between.

The imagery is accompanied by a powerful narrative prompted through a consistent format as each contributor has responded to three questions;

- Diversity Is...?
- Diversity Isn’t...?
- Diversity Works...?

Photographer Shahid stated:

As a business consultant and artist I firmly believe it is critical to use contemporary and innovative formats to increase engagement, dialogue and understanding of how equality, diversity and inclusion are the cornerstone to establishing integrity in business. My overarching goal is to move the agenda out of the backroom into the board room and to place it at the heart of the corporate planning process”

The responses give thought provoking insight through a series of fresh perspectives, which set out the value of diversity as management practice, what diversity definitely isn’t and under what conditions it can act as a catalyst for change and improve business competitiveness. The responses reflect the nature and spirit of diversity, all quite different yet linked with a binding thread of underlying connectivity.

http://shahidbashir.me/diversity-is/

Staff Reporter