Face Value with Brock Elbank Ep. 8 - Cole Parke

Techno Legend Mr Chris Finke and fellow ADHD friend of Brock steers the Face Value with Brock Elbank podcast for a one off 'Ask Brock Anything' episode. Brock answers questions from social media followers as he for once is on the receiving end. Chris and Brock have been good friends for many many years, probably too long as Chris reads out a plethora of random questions hand-picked for Brock's response. Brock is as honest as always, probably dreads being in the chair but as always tried his best.

‘If you’re the smartest person in the room you’re in the wrong room.’ And when I hosted @tendergramps pre pandemic I was definitely not in the wrong room that’s for sure. I could honestly listen to Cole as their way of informing me on at that time a whole new area was most fascinating. Cole had enquired about Freckles wayback though when Cole applied for Scars their own personal journey and experiences really needed to be documented first and then shared, because Cole’s delivery with their knowledge on Non-Binary matters demands your attention. Even though technically this was recorded as EP10 for Face Value with Brock Elbank it’s now running in the EP8 position and will be available today. These are new works from Cole’s series and revisiting the work somehow presented a new feel to their original posts. I received shortly after they returned to the U.S. a typed letter typed on a good old fashioned typewriter and the simple fact they had taken the time to send this kind of sums Cole up. The technical photographic process is one thing that is generally always familiar and second nature to me, but the individual subjects experiences and their knowledge is always something I learn from.

Thanks again Cole for sharing much of your hurdles overcome and being part of this new venture that is the podcast! 

Eva candidly chats with Brock about her discovery of her Vitiligo, the challenges thereafter and facing her demons head on to be where she is confidently at today. Eva's relaxed, fun and honest words will connect with those who live with this skin condition. Brock documented Eva for his Vitiligo portrait series back in 2017 and the results have gone viral on social media associated with Vitiligo.

Darina revisits Brock's home studio to shoot a new series and record a face to face episode. Darina chats to Brock about her experiences with breast cancer in 2019, juggling this with the birth of her second child, overcoming these challenges, to find in January that it had returned. An incredibly humbling listen from a person who has set up a charity to help others and takes each day with a smile to inspire, educate and assist others with stage 4 cancer.

A must listen episode. Brock talks with Elizabeth Soffe's mum Sineád Soffe about the horrific events that unfolded when Elizabeth was only 5.5 months old whilst living overseas. Brock and the Soffe family have become close friends since Brock documented Elizabeth a few years ago. They discuss the horrific house fire that started in the bedroom that Elizabeth was in, the near death experiences, moving to Birmingham to be near the Children's Burns Unit, the 100s of operations, Elizabeth's amazing attitude to life and her incredible charity fundraiser and awards.

Trudy visited Brock back in 2019 for his current Scar portrait series. An absolute warrior who went from a seemingly jet-set life to discovering that she had kidney failure and the fallout thereafter that seemed important in her life. Trudy's journey makes for a Hollywood film script, that shows the listener that health both mental and physical are far more important than possessions and wealth. Brock delves into the moment where Trudy crossroads moment where she would fight or simply die from this horrible but most inspiring journey.

In 2016 Jodi Whitehouse's CMN charity 'Caring Matters Now' contacted Brock after seeing one of his portraits of a subject with Congenital Melanocytic Nevi (CMN) an extremely rare birthmark that only 1/200,000 are born with. Their aim to produce a photographic exhibition featuring 30 subjects from around the world born with CMN to celebrate diversity and educate the general public of which very few knew of. Brock's brief was to document people and present them individually simply in a positive light to raise much needed body-positive awareness. Jodi who was born with the condition talks about growing up in Liverpool literally not knowing what the condition was, the plethora of medical procedures that robbed her of years of her school life, starting the charity and now 25 years on how their strive to find the cause with relentless funding has put CMN and their organisation on the global stage.

Daniel Sweig had a friend reach out to Brock in regards to Daniel possibly being a good fit for the Scars portraits series in 2019. After receiving Daniel's application brock knew instantly that he was an incredible prospect to the work. Daniel and Brock post shoot formed a tight friendship and Daniel discusses the struggle with drug and alcohol addiction, a car crash that should have killed him, losing an eye, but finding a way back over the coming two years. Daniel and Brock find a lightness to this very heavy topic that inspires all means of people.

Bel from The Bay Area in the U.S. was born with an extremely rare type of Cleft. After her older sister Maia applied on her behalf for Brock Elbank's Scars portrait series in 2019, they both travelled to London to take part. Bel has had many ground-breaking surgeries during the first two decades of her life and works tirelessly to raise body-positive awareness for facial differences. After the body of work produced by Brock was posted on his @mrelbank Instagram page Bel received a phenomenal response to her images. Brock felt that Bel's journey to date really should be the very first episode of the Face Value with Brock Elbank podcast.

Back in March 2019 on the eve of the private view for our Caring Matters Now 'How Do You C Me Now?' exhibition at the OXO Wharf Gallery London, I received a DM from Lucy Reeves enquiring about tickets for the show. What began on the Friday morning at the opening to the general public was a journey of discovery, self-acceptance, inner peace, connection and growth for Lucy who on that morning for the first time in her 35 years met not just one but over twenty other human-beings with Congenital Melanocytic Nevus (CMN), an extremely rare type of birthmark 1/20,000 people worldwide.

Lucy's start in life was that of a book or movie script, an uphill struggle from day1 to today where Lucy post exhibition and portrait discusses how day by day she's learning to see herself in a much more positive light. As the Caring Matters Now exhibit makes its virtual way to the U.S. for Nevus Outreach to host the online show to continue the work started by Jodi Whitehouse and the phenomenal team of trustees who have presented this unknown condition on a global scale and celebrate the diversity in skin.

A must listen for parents and folks alike connected with CMN or any kind of birthmark.