contingentportfolio:
Simon Clare
British Prospects
This series of photographs shows the traditional, clichéd and stereotypical view of what is seen as Britishness. In the first half of an ongoing series Simon Clare looks at the south of Britain by travelling around areas of England and Wales by visiting cities, towns and villages. His portrayal of Britishness has a certain charm and sometimes humour to the imagery. In his next series he will be photographing the north of Britain and the comparison between this and the south will be fascinating.
The photographs are presented in a well thought out and beautifully crafted book that was inspired by Simon Roberts book ‘We English’. The photographs stand out on their own, although together they show a strong sense of nostalgia that every British person can relate to. The title ‘British Prospects’ is inspired by the work of Joel Sternfeld’s ‘American Prospects’ and Frederic Lezmi’s ‘Arabian Prospects’ that each show old traditions merging with modern times. From the beginning to the end of Simon’s book you can see these old traditions that flow into the new stereotypes that are associated with Britishness.
With the upcoming Jubilee and Olympics this is the perfect book to celebrate what makes up this great country. He has taken photographs in many places around the south and you really get the sense of “I want to visit that place” or “I remember going there” which adds to the sense of nostalgia that you get when going through the book.
www.simonclare1@hotmail.co.uk
www.simoncphotography.com
