Gallery spaces are not as accessible as a public space. This exhibition is as much for the people of Brixton as it is for us
Between them, Brixton-based photographers Alex Christofides and Garry Mattocks have lived in the area for nearly 30 years. So it was personal interest that partly prompted the pair, last October, to embark on a project to “capture and document the rich diversity of Brixton and the change that is happening in the area,” as Alex puts it.
He continues: “Garry and I have a great connection to area, and the idea came out of knowing and speaking to locals about their views on Brixton. The idea was to document, with pictures, some of the old faces of Brixton who have been living here before changes had taken place.”
You can see some of the results in the gallery above, and there’s an exhibition too, more of which shortly, which will feature just 30 or so of the portraits whittled down from the huge collection the pair have gathered. So how did they go about enticing their subjects in front of the lens?
“The way we started taking pictures,” Alex explains, “was by speaking to people in the street, most of whom we knew, and asking them to be a part of the project. We used a white backdrop and flash in locations around Brixton. We went from the market to the village and outside certain shops and pubs such as the Beehive on Brixton Road, where we found locals. We knew quite a few people we photographed so most were happy to be involved.”
And of all the faces they captured, who were the most memorable? “Too many to mention,” says Alex. “But I remember we waited a few weeks for Raymond and his assistant Evan from the print shop on Coldharbour Lane to come along as they were so busy with work. But when they did, Raymond made a real effort – taking pride in putting on a shirt and tie.” The photographers also got quite a history lesson from local film-maker and Brixton expert, Billy Banks, who’s been collecting film footage of the area for over three decades – covering sugar magnate and philanthropist Henry Tate’s local roots, SW9’s water and every MP to have visited Brixton. “We’ve met so many fantastic, beautiful characters doing this project,” says Alex, “that it’s difficult to whittle down our favourites.”
Which is partly the thinking behind the location for the upcoming exhibition, which happens a week on Saturday, outdoors underneath the trees in Windrush Square. “The idea of having the exhibition outside is simply to attract people who live in the area to come and be a part of it,” Alex explains. “Gallery spaces are not as accessible for people to see and enjoy the work as a public space. This exhibition is as much for the people of Brixton as it is for us.”
And has the process of documenting local characters in this way changed the photographers’ relationship to the area they live in? “We’ve always had a love for Brixton,” Alex says, “and I think through doing the project it has made our connection deeper. We’ve had the chance to celebrate the faces of Brixton, people who we see and love and who have made Brixton what it what it is today.”
There are plans in the pipeline for an indoor exhibition and a book too, as well as a series of photography workshops for young people in Brixton. Watch this face. Ahem, space.
