Discovering a sense of self – with Alison Lapper

Alison and internationally renowned photographer Rankin will meet four people who don’t conform to traditional notions of beauty or who hate being photographed, and invite them to step in front of Rankin’s camera.

According to the BBC: “Each person will reveal their incredible life story and their own personal struggle with their sense of identity. Through hearing these stories and capturing them in Rankin’s studio, Alison and Rankin will explore how the explosion of digital media over the past decade, from social media to selfies, has presented new challenges to our self-image.”

Alison shot to international fame when she became the subject of the sculpture Alison Lapper Pregnant by Marc Quinn, which was displayed on the fourth plinth in London’s Trafalgar Square between September 2005 and late 2007.

Alison’s public profile increased even more in 2012 when a replica of the sculpture featured in the 2012 Summer Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony. Alison was born without arms and with shortened legs, a condition known as phocomelia.

After graduating in Fine Art from the University of Brighton in 1994, Alison set out to question physical normality and beauty using photography, digital imaging and painting. Alison paints expertly with her mouth, and she is a member of the Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists of the World. In 2003, she was awarded an MBE for services to art.

In July 2014 Alison was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from the University of Brighton, an event at which the university’s vice chancellor proclaimed that Alison “was a titan of the human spirit”.

Alison, who graduated with a first-class honours degree, is considered first and foremost an artist. She told BBC South East that it was through art that she came to accept herself.

The BBC 4 programme ‘Nobody’s Perfect’ is scheduled for broadcast next Thursday, 10 November, at 9pm. A prelim to the programme was featured on BBC South East.

Alison is one of the poster stars from the newly launched Brighton's Titans campaign which celebrates alumni who have made successful and inspiring careers.