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.
The photographs in this set were selected to represent the theme ‘Global High Streets’. The brief for this theme was: 'We want to celebrate the different cultures that make our high streets what they are today. From the bright colours of the South Asian fabric shops through to the distinctive flavours that tantalise our taste buds in the Polish supermarkets. What have different communities brought to your high street?'
The photographer wrote the following text to explain how their image relates to this theme: "A parade and town centre festival, the first large scale event in the St Helens Borough of Culture 2023 programme. Produced by Walk the Plank, one of the countries leading outdoor art specialists and featuring 500 local community members carrying banners and puppets. The parade was led by a pedal powered replica of Stephenson’s Rocket, created by Walk the Plank, transporting 6 pantomime horses in Victorian attire. It entered the Square to the sound of Mr Swing’s 12 piece Big Band playing Sweet Caroline where an audience of 5,000 local people joined in the party."
This is part of the Volume: HEC01/128/02/20 Picturing High Streets: Mass Participation Project - Global High Streets; 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
© Cyril Durmore Venning
Photographer: Samosa, Steve
Shopping Precinct, Festivals And Fairs, People
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