The Last Photo

About the Work Crying, anger, despair. People think they know what suicidal looks like. And in the absence of these signs, they don’t intervene. With 125 people taking their own lives each week, long-term partners CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) and ITV (the UK’s largest commercial TV station) urgently needed to highlight the truth that suicidal doesn’t always look suicidal. So on the happiest day of the year, we co-created The Last Photo: a hard-hitting campaign that started a vital national conversation and empowered the UK to help prevent suicide. On Monday 20th June, we unveiled a huge installation of 50 smiling portraits on the South Bank – with no mention of CALM, ITV or suicide. Visitors saw people living what appeared to be happy lives. On the morning of Wednesday 22 June, ITV revealed the truth of the exhibition live on This Morning (the UK's most-watched morning TV show) while CALM unveiled posters at the location alongside a national TV, Cinema, Social, Press, OOH and PR campaign. The reveal: these are the last photos of people who died by suicide. Proof that suicidal doesn't always look suicidal. The location was chosen to maximise both footfall and impact. Not only is the South Bank one of London’s most iconic central locations, it’s also a riverside pedestrianised space that was perfect for reflecting on the truth behind these stories. QR codes at the exhibition drove people to a landing page featuring the full stories of those featured, recorded from interviews with their families. Subsequent pages led visitors to discover practical tools to help prevent suicide themselves.