SURE

Johannah Churchill is a photographer and Lecturer in Contemporary Photography at the University of Sunderland. She trained and worked as an NHS nurse before returning to photography, a shift she describes not as a departure but as a continuity. The instincts formed in clinical practice, attention, proximity, and trust, continue to shape her photographic approach and underpin her commitment to ethical, collaborative image-making. Her work moves between portraiture, documentary, and participatory practice, with a consistent focus on people, care, and the realities of everyday life. She leads NHS Darkroom, an ongoing participatory research project developed in partnership with Newcastle Hospitals Charity, and carries out commissioned work for organisations including the Gaia Foundation and the Telegraph. Her portrait Melanie, March 2020, made at the opening of a Covid-19 clinic, was acquired by the National Portrait Gallery and featured on the cover of the Hold Still book. Her work is also held in the Wellcome Collection, the Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art, and Sunderland Museum.