As part of a series of events exploring the identities, truths and myths exhibited in North: Fashioning Identity this talk sees two photographers discuss their contrasting experiences, anecdotes on action shots and impact on shaping industry and pre-conceived identities.
Ken Grant’s celebrated 1980’s images of Liverpool’s football fans either side of the Stanley park divide capture the highs and lows of football fandom within the wider social context of the time. These black and white shots capture the famed humour, grit and elan of Merseyside and the roots of “Casual’’ culture, a scene formed in the North that remains a source of inspiration to the fashion and style industry today. Having focused on the trade and tradition of northern England for more than three decades Grant’s work is an authentic record of the changing face of Liverpool life.
Alice Hawkins’ work presents a different side of image-making, her uncanny cinematic photos are a celebration of the posed and the preened. Presented in technicolour and ever present in the pages of Vogue, Garage and POP magazines her work plays with preconceptions of identity, place and nostalgia. Through juxtaposing the domestic and every day with luxury fashion and glossy styling Hawkins’ humourous shoots bring out a dark side in her subjects, challenging the viewer to look beyond the brands.
The two photographers will discuss their process and practice in a conversation chaired by Matthew Whitehouse, Arts and Culture Editor at i-D magazine. Matthew reveals his own insights on why ‘The North’ sells magazines, whilst exploring and unpicking the photographed worlds both constructed and captured, subjects found and fashioned. This one-off evening event will look at deconstructing the myth and truth of “The North” and the world behind and beyond the camera’s lens.
