AUGUST 2019
SELF-BELIEF
ART PROJECT
by Andy Cotterill and Ben Tallon
http://www.lendmeyourearart.comLend Me Your Ear is a collaboration
between music photographer Andy
Cotterill and illustrator Ben Tallon that
celebrates the inspiring force of musicians
whose strong, distinctive personalities are a
core part of their appeal.
“What started as a chance introduction
to Andy after voicing my love of his work
has gone deeper than I ever imagined,”
says Tallon. “I asked to experiment with
some of his photographs from over the
years, including the likes of Chuck D,
Damon Albarn, Grace Jones and Keith
Flint, applying my illustration to them in a
sympathetic way, and he liked where I took
it. Five years later, the project has become
a labour of love, an unplanned celebration
of identity, self-expression and creativity.
We both strongly believe that were it not
for these learned, essential keystones of
happiness, our lives may have taken a
different turn.”
The project is supported by mental
health charity CALM and the Young Urban
Arts Foundation, as the creators hold that
self-belief is key to living a purposeful
life. “At a formative age, these musicians
showed me why expressing our truest
self is crucial if we’re to make sense of the
world,” says Tallon.