Martin at WSP Textiles, Bristol. Credit: George Bull
Martin at Aardman Animations, Bristol
Martin at WSP Textiles, Stroud
Martin Parr / Bristol / Barrow in Furness
“When you are confronted with the challenge of converting a workplace into a set of photos, you have to think very fast. The first job is to actually record what is going on and then, secondly, try to make this into an interesting photograph.
I have two cameras, one wide and the other a ring flash and Macro lens, where I can come in close. I try both and follow what approach best serves to interpret that factory the most effectively.
Sometimes, if the workplace is a bit dull, I will use portraits as another way of best showing the subject and, if I establish this approach, will do many in the same place to make this into a more resolved set of images. Having established a basic approach, I then try and fine tune this and build up a set of images, sometimes with a mixture of solutions, sometimes just one.”
Manufacturers visited:
Renishaw
GKN
Airbus
BAE systems, Barrow
Soigneur
Robin Mather
WSP Textiles
Ted James Design
Libertine Bicycles
Aardman Animations
Cameron Balloons
Parr was born in Epsom, Surrey in 1952. His grandfather encouraged his youthful interest in photography and Parr went on to study at Manchester Polytechnic. He has since worked on numerous photographic projects that flaunt his provocative style; one humorously defined by the moral atrophy and preposterousness of modern times.