In the noisy bustle of London’s West End, I have been looking for sanctuaries of quietness and contemplation. I found them in the back alleys and doorways of Chinatown.
At night, when the countless restaurants compete for tourists and theatregoers, throngs of visitors collide with Chinatown’s tight-knit ethnic community. By the time the restaurants open, some of the kitchen staff have already been working since early morning. Many of them are recent immigrants who speak little more than a few words of English. Some will have clocked more than 60 hours when the week is over.
Portraits of Larry Love (aka Rob Spragg) and The Very Reverend Dr. D. Wayne Love (aka Jake Black).
Founded in Brixton 1995, Alabama 3 achieved success when the producers of hit TV series The Sopranos chose the track "Woke Up This Morning" for the show's opening credits.
Pause.
A crowdfunding campaign for a photobook about London during lockdown
Launching on Kickstarter – Thursday, 27 August 2020
Please support this project and be among the first to receive a copy of this unique book!
"A chance to see the city in a way few of us would have experienced before."
Glen Wilson, Southbank Centre
On the 23rd of March 2020, the evening the lockdown was announced in the UK, I was on my exercise round, cycling through an already deserted London. I was experiencing the city like I had never seen it in the 20 years I have been living here.
I decided that taking the camera on my nightly cycling tours was a safe way to document different parts of the city without endangering myself or others.
Initially I felt compelled to document the lack of crowds in places that are usually buzzing with people. It was just such an astonishing and unusual sight.
But looking at the images I have made, I sense they have taken on a life of their own. I feel my photos are less about the lack of human presence, but rather about the stillness of a city being allowed a breather, to reveal a beauty that usually goes unnoticed.
Between the end of March and early June of this year, I made 15 excursions with my bicycle, documenting a deserted London during the coronavirus lockdown.
I made my trips in the evening – the time I usually went out to do my daily exercise – and captured the city at dusk, between around 7.30pm and 10pm. I chose days where the weather was great and the skies clear, to get a consistent and coherent look across the series.
I started photographing in the West End, but then began to visit other
areas all over town. From King’s Cross to Camden Town, from Victoria to Vauxhall, the Southbank and Bankside, the City and Brick Lane, Brixton, North Greenwich and beyond.
My images show many well-know sights and attractions, but I also captured some lesser-known and obscure corners of London in a way you have probably never seen them before.
Here are some sample spreads from the book:
The book
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Hardcover
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approx. 144 pages
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22.0 x 29.0cm
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English
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Printed litho in CMYK with a special varnish on GardaMatt Ultra 170gsm
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Finishing: Thread Sewn, Case Bound
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Edition of 500
The rewards
Backing the project by pre-ordering a copy of the book would give you the opportunity to be among the very first to receive one when it's printed.
You will also be able to choose from a variety of exciting rewards. You can get your hands on a set of postcards, a selection of signed prints, or a combination of the above. Everyone who contributes will also get a mention in the book’s credits.