Reimagining the Development Frame: Gender, Power & Visual Justice

Images guide how institutions make decisions, whose needs are prioritised, and which issues come into view. But what happens when images misrepresent the very people they claim to serve?

And what becomes possible when the images that define gender and inequality begin to change?

How might new ways of seeing open the door to fairer, more equitable futures?

In this talk, curator Imogen Bakelmun asks how we might see differently. She explores the frames that shape public imagination — and the consequences when those frames distort lived realities. Using work from This is Gender, a global visual storytelling initiative within Global 50/50, she shows how images can reinforce unequal systems or help rebuild them.

Imogen will share a curated selection of photographs from the This is Gender collection, created by artists working across 140 locations. These images confront inherited stereotypes, expose structural inequalities, and open space for more just and accountable forms of representation. Together, they demonstrate how shifting the lens can shift the conversation — and how images can become powerful tools for advocacy and change.

This event includes:
– A 20-minute keynote on gender, power, and the visual politics of development
– A curated selection of images and stories from the This is Gender archive
– Reflections on the colonial and patriarchal legacies embedded in development photography
– A discussion on why visual practices matter for policy, public engagement, equity, justice, and progress toward the SDGs
– Audience Q&A

Who it’s for

This event is free and open to RSA Fellows, friends, and anyone interested in gender justice, development, photography, storytelling, or systems change. It will be especially relevant for people working in policy, advocacy, journalism, culture, design, global health, and development who want to rethink how images shape real-world outcomes.

Join us to explore how reimagining the development frame can support a more just and connected future.

Image credit: Elise Racine & Digit / https://betterimagesofai.org / https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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