Taking photographs or footage of people and using them in artworks or published media without consent or payment is not good practice ethically or legally; but repurposing ‘found’ materials already in the public domain can raise ethical questions too – especially in relation to marginalised communities.
Members of marginalised communities do not always have access to resources, both capital and social, that enable them to create work easily. Repurposing found materials raises questions around your access to resources and the privilege of being able to utilise them.
Another question to ask is one relating to the intellectual property being used in a project. To help you, we’ve included a collection of resources to help you navigate intellectual property laws in relation to culturally and linguistically diverse communities, migrant and refugee groups.