Festival
London 2012 : The Great British Public

Bertie o' Peckhole, from the series As You Are, 2008 © Giulietta Verdon Roe

Jennie o' Scottigar , from the series As You Are, 2008 © Giulietta Verdon Roe

Jimmie o' Lochend , from the series As You Are, 2008 © Giulietta Verdon Roe

Paul o' Twingness, from the series As You Are, 2008 © Giulietta Verdon Roe

The visitor from India © Liz Hingley

Meeting at the Rastafarian headquarters © Liz Hingley

Dressing for Mosque © Liz Hingley

Jain and Catholic Neighbours © Liz Hingley

The Birmingham faiths forum dinner © Liz Hingley

The New Forest and Hampshire County Show 2004 © Arnhel de Serra

The East of England Country Show 2006 © Arnhel de Serra

Perimeter fence, Tartan Heart Music Festival © Ben Roberts

The Boys, Elgin © Ben Roberts

© Ben Roberts

Edinburgh. Centenarian Simon Martinez. D.O.B. February 18th 1910 in Belize. In his local pub which he walks to from his home where he lives independently with family nearby © Chris Steele-Perkins, MagnumPhotos

"Open Mic" Ears, Leytonstone, London 2003 © Ewen Spencer

from the series "Open Mic" Roll Deep, Limehouse Estate, London 2004 © Ewen Spencer

from the series "Open Mic". Limehouse, London 2005 © Ewen Spencer

from the series "Open Mic". Kano backstage, Cafe de Paris, London 2004 © Ewen Spencer

from the series "Open Mic" Fumin', Walthamstow, London 2005 © Ewen Spencer

"Open Mic" Choong Youth Centre, Romford, Essex 2004 © Ewen Spencer

from the series "Open Mic". Lady Sovreign in rehersals, London 2005 © Ewen Spencer

from the series "Open Mic" Lord of the Mics in Jammers basement, Leytonstone, London 2004 © Ewen Spencer

Henley Royal Regatta, Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire, England © Homer Sykes

The World Cup, England v Portugal. England lose in a penalty shoot out. Henley Royal Regatta, Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire, England. 2006 Fans photographed in beer tent marquee watching the football game on specially erected televisions sets © Homer Sykes

A new diamond ring. The Guards Polo Club, Windsor Great Park. England © Homer Sykes

Newport Inn public house, Braishfield, near Southampton. Most English people's idea of heaven is a country beer garden on a sunny day. Every year there are around 10,000 alcohol-related deaths in the UK, of which approximately two-thirds are men © John Angerson

Once the home of England’s railway locomotive industry, Swindon is now one of the main centres for the financial services sector. Carpeo Ltd. in Swindon is a 232 m2 call centre with 130 employees primarily serving the medical insurance sector © John Angerson

The small town of Wootton Bassett has become the focus of the regular repatriation processions of fallen servicemen and women from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The bodies are transported from RAF Lyneham and pass through the town on their way to the coroner in Oxford. Family members, friends and the local community assemble along the route in silent tribute for Sgt. Paul Fox, Riflemen Martin Kinggett, Carlo Apolis and Senior Aircraftman Luke Southgate, who all died within six days of each other © John Angerson

Dell Corner Lane. Sugar beet clamp. The UK produces 8 million metric tons of sugar beet per year from a worldwide total of 242 metric tonnes. Recently British Petroleum (BP) joined forces with food groups to build what they claim will be Britain's largest "green" petrol plant using sugar beet from East Anglia © John Angerson

The trim & chassis production line of the latest Juke model at the Japanese owned Nissan car factory in Sunderland. The 799-acre (3.23 km2) site once the site of RAF Usworth is the UK’s largest passenger car employer. It has 4900 employees, producing 10,0000 vehicles a week. 1 in 3 cars exported from the UK originates from the Nissan plant © John Angerson

Anfield football stadium was built in 1884, the stadium has been home to Liverpool F.C. since they were formed in 1892 as a result of the original tenants Everton F.C. leaving the ground. The turf is renewed every season with grass seed is obtained from the Rigby Taylors ltd. in Bolton. In 1906 local journalist Ernest Edwards, christened a new stand ‘Spion Kop’; named after a famous hill in South Africa where a local regiment had suffered heavy losses during the Boer War. More than 300 men had died, many of them from Liverpool, as the British army attempted to capture the strategic hilltop © John Angerson

The Old New Inn public house model village was built by a small team of local craftsmen, the village is a 1/9th replica of Bourton-on-the-Water, built from the local Cotswold stone. It was opened to the public on the Coronation day of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1937 © John Angerson

Pioneer & Severalls Farm is part of the family owned Guy Shropshire group in Wissington Norfolk, it produces up to 2800 tons of red radish for the UK and overseas markets.Their production moves to their farms in Spain from November to March to ensure a year-round supply to the supermarket chains © John Angerson

GB. England. Dudley. The Black Country. An area in the midlands, The Black Country gained its name in the mid nineteenth century due to the smoke from the many thousands of ironworking foundries and forges. Street games at the Black Country Living Museum. 2010 © Martin Parr / Magnum Photos

Crufts 2012 © Nick Cunard

Crufts 2012 © Nick Cunard

Crufts 2012 © Nick Cunard

Crufts 2012 © Nick Cunard

Crufts 2012 © Nick Cunard

Faisal's 2011 © Nick Cunard

Faisal's 2011 © Nick Cunard

Faisal's 2011 © Nick Cunard

Faisal's 2011 © Nick Cunard

Faisal's 2011 © Nick Cunard

Faisal's 2011 © Nick Cunard

Faisal's 2011 © Nick Cunard

A young girl cries on the beach at New Brighton on a day out with her mother and grandmother © Peter Dench/Reportage by Getty Images

Newly wed Claire Simon-Kind (30) with sister and bridesmaid Sarah Simon (28) in front of a weather shelter on New Brighton promenade © Peter Dench/Reportage by Getty Images

Eight year old Georgina Jackson hooks for crabs in Marine Lake with her Grandad, Kenneth (61) © Peter Dench/Reportage by Getty Images

A young boy in the back seat of a car parked in front of the Riverside Bowl and Lazer Quest Centre on Marine Promenade, New Brighton © Peter Dench/Reportage by Getty Images

A man seated in a green and white deck chair waits for the Northwest Concert Band to perform in Vale Park © Peter Dench/Reportage by Getty Images

Blackpool Promenade, Lancashire, 24 July 2008 © Simon Roberts

Saunton Sands, Devon, 23 May 2008 © Simon Roberts

South Downs Way, West Sussex, 8 October 2007 © Simon Roberts

Youths hang out next to the River Lea, Hackney. London © Zed Nelson/Photographer

A couple kiss in a rented boat on the canal, close to the olympic stadium. London © Zed Nelson/Photographer

Orthodox Jews in Stoken Newington, Hackney. London © Zed Nelson/Photographer

Mourners leave flowers and cards at the murder scene of Agnes Sina-Inakoju, who was killed by a gunshot fired through the window of a fast food restaurant in Hackney. The gunman, 21 years old and riding a bicycle, was trying to scare a rival youth gang © Zed Nelson/Photographer

Shoreditch Portraits. Kingsland Road, Hackney. London © Zed Nelson/Photographer
It’s only fitting that the London Festival of Photography would commemorate the Great British Public at a time when the entire planet will turn their attention on London as the Queen is celebrating 60 years on the thrones and the world’s biggest sport games come to the Great Britain’s capital.
Countless photographers have documented The Great British Public, but only a range of practitioners have been able to document the extremes and quirks of life that makes the country what it is.
The multidisciplinary exhibition will feature the work of Martin Parr and Peter Dench, Ben Roberts, Chris Steele-Perkins, Ewen Spencer and John Angerson, among many others.
“It is rare that such a stellar collection of British artists are shown together in celebration of Britishness - this is one of the festival's headline exhibitions and should not be missed,” say the organisers, who were able to strike a deal with the St Pancras International to host large prints on the concourse of the station.
EXHIBITION
The Great British Public
June 01 to 01 July, 2012
St Pancras International,
Pancras Road
London, NW1 2QP
Links
Contributors
Olivier Laurent

