Anders Petersen and JH Engström – From Back Home

The National Media Museum, Bradford [15 Oct 10 - 27 Mar 11]

In 2001, two of Sweden’s leading photographers, Anders Petersen (b1944) and JH Engström (b1969), began a seven-year long collaboration to photograph the Värmland, the central western area of Sweden from which they both came. Both photographers travelled into the heart of their subject, their potent and captivating photographs becoming an intense voyage of discovery into both the place and people that shaped them, and their relationship with one another.

Combining the work of two photographers born a generation apart, yet reflecting on their shared identity, From Back Home is a remarkable achievement. It elegantly demonstrates the power of photography to be intimate and personal, while accessible to the viewer. Neither photographer has attempted to make an objective portrayal of their homeland, instead both instinctively explore their memories; responding by photographing friends and family, alongside people and places that connect with their own recollections of growing up.

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Mister Sixties Philip Townsend’s Portraits of a Decade

The Lowry, Salford Quays  [18 Sep 10  - 9 Jan 11]

Between 1960 and 1969 Philip Townsend worked as a photographer for many leading magazines and newspapers both in the UK and abroad. While other photographers took portraits, often closely cropped, Townsend widened his frame to include backgrounds, landscapes and a sheer feel of the period.

In the 60s, there was an explosion of new music and fashion which still has echoes today. Townsend was at the beating heart of the revolution and captured unforgettable images in an imitable style which speaks down the years about the people and events that made the Sixties swing. Read more…