‘Rare Aware’ is where Same but Different began. Inspired by her youngest son, born with Moebius Syndrome, our Creative Director - Ceridwen Hughes - sought to redress the general public’s perspective of rare diseases.

Aim

All to often, the disability can come before the child. The Rare Aware series was created to encourage viewers to see the person rather than the condition. By creating artwork that captured each individuals personality, the accumulative exhibition of images and narrative sought to change perspectives and understanding in both the general public and professional health sector.

Process

Over the course of a year, 50 children each affected by a rare disease were photographed. Simply lit, the images compositionally and thoughtfully emphasise the personality of the sitter. The touring exhibition was accompanied by informative and compelling narratives giving a glimpse into the lives of each family and the character of each child. A rare perspective on rare disease.

Impact

‘Rare Aware’ was the flagship campaign for the three year suite of exhibitions designed to raise awareness of rare disease. This succession of exhibitions was on show for nearly 1 in every 3 days, being seen physically by 17,000 attendants at our 82 exhibitions, and attained a readership of over 48 million people through some of the UK’s biggest press platforms and social media outlets.

During this period, over 15,000 organisations viewed our work. Collating the feedback, we know that ‘Rare Aware’ helped change perspectives on rare disease, increasing empathy and understanding, and bringing the realities of this community to the forefront of our audiences attention.

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