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 ‘High Street Highlights'. The brief for this theme was: 'The last challenge of our year-long call-out! This is your invitation to look back at the challenges and respond to any of them. What are you proud of about your local high street, what do you want to share? Now is the time to show us!'
The photographer wrote the following text to explain how their image relates to this theme: "I have been watching this old shop sign slowly disintegrating over the last couple of years. To my mind it’s now become an art work in its own right, its steady decay acting perhaps as a commentary on the loss of local shops and community businesses.
This is part of the Volume: HEC01/128/02/29 Picturing High Streets: Mass Participation Project - High Street Highlights; 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
© Jay Mason-Burns
Photographer: Mason-Burns, Jay
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