Black Lenses Matter: Matt Miller

“I simply love people. I remember long journeys in the car as a child, catching a glimpse of the passenger in the adjacent car as we’d stop at the lights, wondering about their life, their story, their destination. Intersections have always intrigued me and capturing that notion is a matter of integrity.” - Matt Miller

Matt Miller has never been bound by subject. His work ranges from artwork for various pop stars, thought leaders, and performers to profiling issues of social injustice, truth, and representation.

He’s known for his utilisation of film and natural light in creating dynamic and engaging visuals. 

“I’m the kind of person that reads the manual twice before assembling the furniture. Things make sense to me when they’re considered..."

"...Maybe it is because those first years experimenting with photography were spent with a borrowed camera, expired film, rare sunny Yorkshire days, and the darkroom why I feel most at home working with film and a purposeful approach”.
- Matt Miller

Throughout lockdown, Matt has been working with local East London talent, documenting the lives and experiences of residents of Newham. Joel Claudio’s diptych projects, ‘It's our Call’ and, ‘It's our Movement’, are both collaborations giving voice to those embedded in  the community. 

“Recently I’ve been compelled by stories I’ve come across concerning migration, particularly in Sierra Leone and West Africa. It is something that has little coverage in our world. I initially found a connection in exploring my Grandparent’s migration from Jamaica who are of the Windrush Generation. It was one of empathy initially until discovering the direct close bonds in history such as the Jamaican Maroons." 

"My aim in this body of work and collaborating with grassroots advocacy networks based in Freetown is to bring sustainable value to their restorative work and the lives of the many survivors of human trafficking”
- Matt Miller

In 2018, Matt co-founded the creative agency, OneSixOne in response to seeng the long term negative effects of homogenous leadership in creative agencies. 

His aim is to positively impact industry culture with inclusive ownership and methodologies based on integrity.

Explore more from this years Black Lenses Matter in the UK [here].