Where Children Sleep

James Mollison (1973)

Typological project examining childhood across the world through uniform portraiture and contextual images of sleeping environments.

Description

James Mollison's Where Children Sleep documents the sleeping spaces and portraits of children from diverse socioeconomic and geographic backgrounds worldwide. Initiated around 2004 while Mollison was working at Fabrica, a hybrid space for creative research and production, this series examines global childhood inequalities through an intimate exploration of personal spaces. The first collection was published as a book in 2010, with a second volume following in 2023, expanding the project to address contemporary issues such as climate change, refugee crises, and LGBTQ+ rights.

The project emerged as Mollison’s response to traditional charity imagery, which he found oversimplified and insufficiently insightful. By capturing children from vastly different backgrounds—ranging from affluent families in Western nations to impoverished or refugee settings—Mollison offers a more nuanced narrative of global inequality. The work reflects broader early-21st-century conversations about globalization, human rights, and socioeconomic disparity, directly engaging with themes from the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, particularly the ideal that all are born equal in dignity and rights.

Artistically, Mollison employs a typological approach, pairing two distinct photographic methods to foster direct comparison. Each child is photographed separately from their environment, in a studio-style portrait against a plain neutral background, emphasizing individuality and dignity. Conversely, the sleeping spaces are captured in situ, portraying the varied material and cultural circumstances. The portraits maintain consistent composition with static framing and a solemn tone, facilitating equal representation regardless of background. Meanwhile, the sleeping space images vividly detail each child's circumstances, with diverse ambient lighting and color palettes reflecting their reality—from luxurious rooms filled with possessions to sparse, makeshift sleeping arrangements.

Technically, Mollison uses a medium format camera which enables high-resolution images rich in detail and enhances the project's observational clarity. He creates portable studio environments for portraits even in challenging settings like refugee camps, reinforcing the project's sustained use of a uniform and impartial visual approach.

Since its 2010 release, Where Children Sleep has toured internationally as a traveling exhibition, with notable presentations at the David J. Sencer CDC Museum, Atlanta (2016), Pera Museum, Istanbul (2021), and Kyotographie, Kyoto (2024); the project expanded with Where Children Sleep, Vol. 2 (Hoxton Mini Press, 2023). Recognition includes the Royal Photographic Society’s Vic Odden Award (2009), Creative Review Photography Annual "Best in Book" (2010), and finalist for the W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund grant.

Behind the work

Where Children Sleep was initially conceived when UNICEF approached James Mollison for a project marking its 60th anniversary, providing a framework tied to children’s rights. Mollison’s memories of his own childhood room—an evolving map of identity and aspirations—served as the project’s conceptual anchor.

The project remained unaffiliated with any charity after its initial sponsor withdrew support when Mollison chose to include wealthy children, broadening the scope. He often extended work-related travel to photograph subjects for Where Children Sleep, underscoring its gradual development and his personal investment.

The project's original title was going to be Bedrooms, but Mollison realised that the concept of having a dedicated bedroom didn't apply to many children around the world. This realisation led to the more inclusive title, Where Children Sleep.

The project is not affiliated with a charity because when Mollison decided to also photograph wealthy children, the initial charity dropped the project. Mollison frequently extended work trips for other assignments to photograph children for Where Children Sleep, reflecting the project’s organic evolution and his personal commitment.

Quotes by the photographer

"I learned inequality will always exist. I hope other people learn about and get to see this window into how others are living and how drastic that disparity can be from their own situation."

"Sadly, the notion that we’re all born equal is not the case."

"Millions of families around the world sleep together in one room, and millions of children sleep in a space of convenience, rather than a place they can in any sense call their room. I came to appreciate just how privileged I was to have had a bedroom to sleep and grow up in."

"When asked to come up with an idea for engaging with children's rights, I found myself thinking about my bedroom: how significant it was during my childhood, and how it reflected what I had and who I was."

"It seemed to make sense to photograph the children themselves, too, but separately from their bedrooms, using a neutral background. My thinking was that the bedroom pictures would be inscribed with the children's material and cultural circumstances--the details that inevitably mark people apart from each other--while the children themselves would appear in the set of portraits as individuals, as equals… just as children."

"For me, the project became a vehicle to think about issues of poverty and wealth, about the relationship of children to personal possessions, and the power of children - or lack of it - to make decisions about their lives."

"In the end, I hope the pictures and the stories in this book speak to children. Yes, so that lucky children (like I was) may better appreciate what they have. But more than that, I hope this book will help children think about inequality, within and between societies around the world, and perhaps start to figure out how, in their own lives, they may respond."

"There’s an incredible privilege being allowed to go into people’s houses. I learned how incredibly privileged I am to be able to fly into a situation, see how these people live, and be able to leave it again."

Tags and context

Suggest an Edit