Picturing High Streets was a three-year project delivered by Photoworks to create a contemporary picture of England’s high streets through artist residencies and a public call out. It was part of the High Streets Heritage Action Zones Cultural Programme, and produced in partnership with GRAIN Projects, Impressions Gallery, Open Eye Gallery, London College of Communications, Photofusion, QUAD/FORMAT, Redeye, ReFramed and The Photographers’ Gallery.
From September 2022 to September 2023, people across England responded to themed fortnightly challenges and submitted their photographs on Instagram under the hashtag #PicturingHighStreets. All entries created an unofficial archive documenting a year in the life of the English high street on Instagram, and a selection form this permanent collection in the Historic England Archive.
From March to September 2023, Bristol Photo Festival commissioned leading Bristol-based and international photographers to draw out the stories of Bristol’s high streets and co-create work with the communities who inhabit them. The project, DREAMLINES: Picturing Bristol High Streets, was jointly funded by Historic England and Bristol City Council, and was part of the West of England Combined Authority’s Love our High Streets project.
Sebastian embarked on a long-term collaboration with participants from The Hive, a local centre for adults with autism and learning disabilities. Through a series of workshops, the group enacted scenes from historic films that had been shown at the long-closed Kingsway Cinema. The group took the resulting photographs and painted over them, to create a series of experimental portraits.
This is part of the Volume: HEC01/128/02/31 Picturing High Streets: Mass Participation Project - Bristol; within the Sub Series: HEC01/128/02 Picturing High Streets: Mass Participation Project; within the Series: HEC01/128 Picturing High Streets; within the Collection: HEC01 Historic England
© Sebastian Bruno
Photographer: Bruno, Sebastian
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