The stories of Bristol’s high streets and the communities who inhabit them are being told in collaboration with leading Bristol-based and international photographers this autumn. The photographers have worked alongside a range of communities and businesses.
Chris Hoare is one of the photographers commissioned to co-create work across Bristol’s historic high streets. He has been collaborating with Shirehampton Mens Social Club to create a body of portraits. The process began after coming across a historic photograph of club members taken in 1951. The image compelled Chris to create a record of the club today, in order to better understand how Shirehampton has changed over the last 70 years.
Chris has also spent time making portraits along Shirehampton High Street, at times working candidly, engaging quickly with passers-by, and at other times he has set up a temporary studio. Collectively, his photographs illustrate Shirehampton as a living community that continues to evolve and adapt as circumstances change.
“Being part of the commission has been a pleasure, I chose to mostly attach myself to Shirehampton Men’s Social club, which is in effect a community centre. Through many visits I have been welcomed by its members and in fact become a member myself. It feels like a privilege to be welcomed into a private space like this, so I am very thankful to everyone there for giving me the time.” Chris Hoare
DREAMLINES: Picturing Bristol High Streets is organised by Bristol Photo Festival which will return to the city in 2024.
Photographers from Bristol, or those with strong ties to the city— including Khali Ackford, Michael Alberry, Sebastian Bruno, Jade Carr-Daley, Mohamed Hassan, Chris Hoare, Kirsty MacKay and Clementine Schneidermann—were commissioned to co-create work across Bristol’s historic high streets. Their images have been created in collaboration with writers, facilitators and the communities which they depict. The results of their collective work will go on display in a series of public exhibitions across four of the high streets—Filton Avenue, Shirehampton, Stapleton Rd and Two Mile Hill—across two weekends in September 2023. Bristol Photo Festival also facilitated workshops and other activities in Church Road, Filwood Broadway, Stockwood, Brislington and East Street.
DREAMLINES: Picturing Bristol High Streets
A series of high street exhibitions across Bristol from 9 – 17 September 2023 Full schedule of events at www.highstreets.bristolphotofestival.org
