Francesca Moore

Francesca Moore is a documentary photographer whose work stems from interests in people and the environment. With a formalised and methodological approach, she draws on her scientific background to portray humanitarian, social and environmental issues. As well as working on longer-running funded and self-funded projects, she documents news and editorial events and also teaches photography.

Her Arts Council England funded project ‘Bhopal: Facing 30’ portrays the site of the 1984 Bhopal gas disaster today, and the people who continue to be affected thirty years on. A book was published to commemorate the disaster’s thirtieth anniversary and the photographs were exhibited nationally and internationally and shortlisted and exhibited for Environmental Photographer of the Year 2014 and shortlisted for the Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize. The project received Special Commendations for the Nick Reeves award for Arts and the Environment in recognition of an outstanding contribution in the field of environmental arts.

Her documentary project ‘Fermă’, explores the effects of the current EU climate on Romanian farmers, and includes a series of formal portraits inspired by the 18th century painted portraits and 19th century photographic portraits of the region, a style portraiture that was developed during an artists’ residency at the University of Derby.

‘Women Survivor Activists’ is a project highlighting the incredible women living in the shadows of the world’s worst industrial disaster, that took place in Bhopal, India, 1984. On a cold December night up to 8-12,000 people were killed when a Union Carbide pesticide factory released 27 tonnes of an invisible Methyl Isocyanate gas across the city. The site, now owned by Dow Chemical, remains un-remediated and highly toxic, affecting 120,000 people today from the gas exposure and secondary water contamination around the plant site. Working with an anthropologist, born in Bhopal but raised in Memphis, Tennessee, by parents who had narrowly escaped the disaster, we have begun collecting the stories of the incredible women who are fighting to raise awareness of the disaster’s effects, and to make positive changes in their communities, step by step. Their stories have never been collated before, and will serve to raise greater awareness of the issues they face and the positive changes they have made.

As a press accredited member of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), Francesca held the role of London Photographer’s Branch Equality Officer, and combines her environmental work with a passion for the performing arts and has been photographing live stage shows, festivals and events for over ten years.