SEVENOAKS IN A TIME OF CHANGE: Dynamism Diversity Resilience
We welcome you back into the Gallery, do drop in and see this fabulous project all about the shops and businesses that make up the wonderful jigsaw that is Sevenoaks High Street.
The exhibition will run for six weeks as numbers are restricted. Masks must be worn for all our safety. Please bring your own pen to leave a comment in our visitor book.
Ros, Sue and all the artists of SVAF
Monday 7th September – Saturday 17th October Monday – Saturday 10 – 4
Full information about this project, how to order photographs or buy the book can be found at https://www.sevenoaks2020.com/
Sevenoaks 2020 is a photography project which celebrates the diversity dynamism and resilience of the town centre and looks confidently to the future
It was conceived by Victoria Granville as a riposte to the challenges faced by town centres in the age of internet and car-based out-of-town shopping at the time of the 900thanniversary of the first written record of Sevenoaks. However, the rapid onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020 presents a greater and more intense challenge to the town’s businesses and activities.
Over half of the images are of the individual businesses and activities along with the people who make them work. The remaining shots were taken after lock-down.
Undertaken by Victoria along with Elizabeth Purves and Roger Lee, work on the project began in late October 2019. The 250 photographs were completed in early May 2020.
The project
Sevenoaks 2020 is a photography project which celebrates the diversity and dynamism of the town centre and, hopefully, helps sustain its resilience.
It was conceived by Victoria Granville-Baxter as a riposte to the challenges faced by town centres in the age of internet and car-based out-of-town shopping at the time of the 900th anniversary of the first written record of Sevenoaks.
However, the rapid onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020 presented – and will continue to present – a far greater and more intense challenge to the town’s businesses and activities. Most have, perforce, been stilled. And so the photographs have, thereby, taken on a greater significance as a portrait of a decisive moment in time
Undertaken by Victoria along with Elizabeth Purves and Roger Lee, work on the project began in late October 2019. The photography was completed in early May 2020. Over half of the images are of the individual businesses and activities along with the people who make them work. The remainder are shots of the premises of all the other businesses and activities which, for one reason or another, were unable fully to participate.
The photography and printing
A number of explicitly photographic decisions had to be taken at the outset and then had, of course, to be observed throughout.
Particularly important was the decision not to use a polarizing filter. This meant that apparently distracting reflections in the windows of many shops would be apparent. Retaining these reflections marked the fact that the project is about the town centre as a whole and the cheek-by-jowl relationships between activities rather than the individual activities themselves.
Despite the relevance and urgency of the project, it might have been expected that photographic boredom would quickly set in whilst taking 250 plus almost identical images. But exactly the opposite was the case. Each image posed unique questions.
The 250 or so images which involved both staff and premises are especially intriguing. They offer not only great variety in terms of the numbers of people involved – ranging from one person to over 30 – but also present fascinating differences arising from the relationships of the subjects between each other and with their place of work as well as with the photographer.
At the same time, however, all the photographs were given an essentially similar treatment to try to ensure visual comparability between them. And all were shot in mono. This ensures a degree of uniformity and helps avoid the kinds of distractions associated with colour photographs.
The same camera and lens (f2.8-4.0 24-90 mm zoom) was used throughout and, in making all the pictures, the same photographer occupied the space behind the viewfinder.
Graham Upton and Justin Rainey in the Print Studio of Sevenoaks DC printed all images onto vinyl paper at approximately A2 size and mounted them onto foam board.
The exhibition and book
The major outputs from Sevenoaks 2020 is the Kaleidoscope exhibition of photographs and an associated book-of-the-show. As Sevenoaks 2020 is all about demonstrating and reflecting the vibrancy of the town centre, it is the exhibition which gives the project its meaning and direction. Books are for private perusal whereas the exhibition, like the town centre itself, is a public space which is always experienced with others even when those others may be physically absent.
Purchase the book at Sevenoaks Book shop for £10 or via the exhibition website www.sevenoaks2020.com
All the photographs can be seen and ordered for £10 each from the website. https://www.sevenoaks2020.com
Short videos of Victoria and Roger talking about the project filmed and produced by Evy Barry
We hosted an understated, but nevertheless enjoyable, opening for 6 of the dignitaries representing Sevenoaks Town and District Councils, the Mayor and chairman of The Sevenoaks Society. Although unable to provide any hospitality it was a wonderful opportunity for Victoria and Roger to have such positive feedback and appreciation.
