1983 originated from an exhibition held that same year titled Fashion. The exhibition explored fashion not only in the haute couture sense—although some images were taken on the King’s Road in Chelsea—but in a broader social and cultural context.
In the original exhibition, the photographs were cropped to focus only on the people. They are now presented as full-frame images, revealing more of their surroundings and placing the subjects within a wider context. What might now be described as street photography was simply everyday observation in 1983.
Many of these photographs carry personal stories. At the time, resources were limited and I only just had enough money for materials. While photographing in London I was staying in a squat in South London, and for the Oxford images I stayed at the Peace Camp at Upper Heyford.
Today the work has become archival, with 1983 now over four decades ago. The original exhibition was shown at the now long-gone Community Resource and Information Centre and in the corridor of the Coventry Polytechnic Media Centre.
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