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Kevin Bean 1955 – 2024

November 19, 2024
Kevin Bean with Audrey White on a demonstration against Council cuts.

Many people will be saddened to hear of the death of Dr Kevin Bean who died peacefully at home with his partner Pauline Hadaway next to him on October 12th. I knew him as a friend, activist and a member of Wavertree Constituency Labour Party. When Kevin first arrived at a Wavertree meeting the right wing didn’t really know what to make of him. They assumed that a well spoken, polite academic and member of the Irish Studies department at Liverpool University would not be the type to rock the boat and argue for socialism. No doubt their initial assessment was coloured by his conservative but elegant dress sense topped off with an Irish tweed jacket and stylish hat. He once told me of his plan to have a ceremonial burning of his jacket once he was fully retired.

Kevin speaking at a meeting of the Merseyside Pensioners Association with Marie Harrison on the left.

At the time Kevin joined Wavertree CLP Jeremy Corbyn was the leader of the party and the left for a short time were in the ascendency. Given his politics, administrative and communication skills he was elected as secretary of the CLP and played an exceptional role in setting up a weekly bulletin for members during the Covid lockdown. All members were invited to contribute to the bulletin but this outraged the Labour right wing as the last thing they wanted was any political discussion within the membership!

Kevin speaking at a meeting of Wavertree CLP in the days before everyone left or were expelled.

Kevin was a lifelong campaigner for Palestinian rights. His understanding of the Middle East was reinforced by a number of visits to Palestine. To ensure his unhindered access through Israeli immigration he had an excellent cover story: he was a pious Catholic pilgrim to the Holy Land and had a number of items in his luggage to demonstrate his intent, including a bible and rosary.

During his last visit he was nearly unmasked when he was part of a group who were chased through olive groves by the IDF and cannisters of tear gas. Kevin managed to evade the IDF but unfortunately not the thought police of the Labour party because in 2020 Kevin and three other members of the Party executive were suspended for criticising their MP Paula Barker who had written an article in the Jewish Telegraph, without any prior consultation with the executive officers. She wrote, among other things: “Luciana [Berger] leaving the Labour Party was a shock to many and I find it deeply regrettable that she felt she could no longer stay.” Luciana Berger MP, parachuted into the safe Labour seat for the 2010 general election, was one of the most vocal opponents of Jeremy Corbyn, who used her position as MP to publicly undermine and sabotage him at every opportunity. She helped to spread the lie that the Labour Party is overrun by antisemites and thereby fostered the current atmosphere, in which pro-Palestinian campaigners are regularly tarnished and vilified as antisemites – and she particularly singled out the Labour members in her own constituency. In the end she jumped ship and joined the Liberal Democrats, which really could not come as a “shock” to anybody who had followed her political trajectory. Tom Watson declared that she had been “forced out by racist thugs” in her CLP.

Barker, elected with the help of the left, including the Wavertree 4, supported that narrative in her article. The four members felt so concerned that they wrote a private letter to her, but she simply brushed their concerns aside. Without any decision-making CLP meetings taking place where they could have presented a motion, the four decided to publish their views in the weekly internal CLP bulletin, which had been functioning as a medium of debate and featured all sorts of local and national events during the Covid-19 lockdown. The four wrote: “Paula’s words will most certainly be taken to imply that we, as a CLP, were responsible [for Berger’s departure]. This accusation has been repeated by our political opponents, such as the anti-Corbyn Labour right and the Liberal Democrats on numerous occasions, culminating in Tom Watson’s calumny, under the protective cloak of parliamentary privilege. In the furore that followed, individual officers and members, were subjected to further abuse and false allegations in the media, all of which were designed to obscure the political differences between Ms Berger and the CLP.”

Kevin (left) holding the Wavertree CLP banner with a member of the Wavertree 4, Hazuan Hashim. They are photographed here on a demo supporting the UCU outside Liverpool university.

Kevin was eventually expelled from the Labour Party for being a “Communist”. I think he thought of this as a wonderful accolade from a party that has embraced neo-liberalism and suppressed freedom of speech. Yes Kevin was a Communist, a Marxist and active Trade Unionist. I used to describe Kevin as our secret agent on the left. Given his committment as a fighter for his class and his elevation to the status of a Communist by the Labour Party I presented with a fake KGB identity card which he loved.

Kevin’s fake KGB pass.

Kevin played a key role in the UCU strikes of recent years. As chair of his branch he was respected by the membership not least because of his kindness but also because of his sharp intellect and humour. He was first into the Union office every strike day to organise effective picketing around the university campus and ensure a steady supply of tea, coffee and sanwiches for UCU pickets and their supporters.

Kevin (right) talking to fellow UCU members on strike for better pay and conditions outside Liverpool University.

Kevin was an expert on fine wines and extra strong European beers. He explained to me once that as we were unable in later life to drink lots of pints, strong bottled beers with a high alcohol content were “perfect for people of our age Phil”. As a connoisseur of fine food and drink he refused to allow the pandemic to interfere with his embrace of good food shared with friends. My partner Hazuan Hashim and I had a number of ‘zoom dinner parties’ which Kevin and his partner Pauline. Naturally kevin dressed up for the occasion.

Kevin dressed up and ready for his ‘pandemic zoom dinner party’ during lockdown.

Following his expulsion from the Labour Party Kevin became more politically active and was a regular supporting strike pickets as well as the weekly protest against Council cuts outside the former Wavertree One Stop Shop which was closed down by the Labour Council. Kevin aquired a carboard cut out of Keir Starmer; he would entertain fellow protesters by having imaginary conversations with him.

Kevin (right) talking to his beloved cardboard cut out of Keir Starmer at a protest against Labour Council Cuts.

Kevin was later to meet Starmer in person when he turned up for lunch at a Liverpool restaurant. Kevin was part of the team who accompanied Audrey White who received a tip off about where the Labour leader would be having lunch following a brief morning visit to Liverpool to talk about ‘economic growth’. We called ourselves the ‘A’ team and the four of us booked a table half an hour before Starmer’s grand entrance. On his arrival Audrey sent a message to some fellow ‘A’ team members who were stationed in a pub just around the corner. Their job was to protest outside the restaurant as Hazuan Hashim and myself filmed Audrey and Starmer. It was a plan that could have gone wrong but the intelligence was good and everyone knew what their role was. Everything went happily according to plan. In fact it was a dream because Starmer and his colleagues sat at a table near us in front of a window looking onto the street where the protesters gathered. During the film – which has been viewed by millions – you can hear Kevin in the background commenting to a silent Starmer who hadn’t a clue what to do. In fact with my camera focused on Starmer I was squeezed between a table with a plain clothes police officer trying to pull me away on my left and Kevin on my right side holding me still so I could get the shot! Following the brief interuption to our meal we returned to our table to finish our meal which Kevin insisted on paying for.

The encounter between Audrey White and Keir Starmer.

Many people have been influenced by the teaching, kindness, genorisity and humour of Kevin Bean. His lasting legacy will be found in his writings. Kevin wrote many articles – all in long hand and in that sense was a bit of a dinosaur. For the purposes of research he viewed the internet with some suspicion and was always keen to point out that only a fraction of what has been published or written is actually available on the internet. His critically aclaimed book The New Politics of Sinn Féin is an assessment of the ideological and organizational development of Provisional republicanism since 1985. The book explores how the Republican movement has changed over the years and uses original research and interviews to consider the origins of what has become known as ‘New Sinn Fein’.

Kevin appeared in a film I made with Hazuan Hashim called ‘The Anatomy of a Witchunt’ in 2002. In it he spoke eloquently about the direction of travel of the Labour Party. He was a delight to have in the studio because his interview was done in one take!

Kevin speaking about freedom of speech and the Labour Party.

During his illness Ann San, member of the Merseyside Pensioners Association and life long nurse, ensured everything was in place for Kevin as a terminally ill cancer patient. She told me that she “felt so glad that our paths crossed. He was far too young to leave this world and I do know how much he valued people. I wish I’d known him longer so that I could have had him for a friend for longer”.

Kevin is survived by his partner Pauline Hadaway, his sister Patsy, his children from his marriage to Susan – Kathleen, Bernadette, Teresa and James-Joseph – and by five grandchildren.

A celebration of the lives of Kevin Bean and Terry Harrison will be held on Friday 24th January 2025, from 6.00pm at the Casa Bar, Hope Street, Liverpool L1 9BP. All welcome.

Around Liverpool (65)

November 16, 2024
Central Station. Liverpool February 2024.
Bus stop on Picton Road. Liverpool January 2023.
Liverpool 1983.
On the phone in Lime Street. Liverpool, August 2022.
Bootle, Liverpool 1980
Having a smoke in Bootle, Liverpool 1980.
On the phone in town. Liverpool, March 2024.
Liverpool One. Liverpool, March 2024.
Williamson Square. Liverpool February 2024.
Shopping in town at night. Liverpool February 2024.
Liverpool Cathedral c. 1980
Liverpool Anglican Cathedral, 1979.

Around East London (27)

November 6, 2024
Bethnal Green Road. East London 1997.
Cheshire Street. East London 2002.
Petticoat Lane. East London 2002.
Commercial Street. East London 2016.
Conversation in Spitalfields. East London 1984.
Underground between Algate East and Whitechapel. East London 1993.
Entrance to the Brick Lane Launderette. East London 1982.
Petticoat Lane. East London 2003.
View into Trumans Brewery, Brick Lane. East London 2003.

Around Liverpool (64)

November 3, 2024
Inner city – near the Anglican cathedral. Liverpool 1978.
Cycling in the Mystery Park. Liverpool January 2023.
Lodge Lane. Liverpool 1978.
Delivery cyclists waiting for an order. Liverpool February 2024.
Lodge Lane. Liverpool 1979.
On the phone on Wavertree High Street. Liverpool, April 2022.
On the 79 bus. Liverpool, December 2023.
Church Street at night. Liverpool, March 2024.
London Road. Liverpool, March 2024.

Around East London (26)

November 1, 2024
On Sclater Street. East London October 2024.
Whitechapel Road. East London 2004.
On the phone near Shoreditch station. East London, October 2024.
Spitalfields market. East London 2005.
On the phone in Sclater Street. East London October 2024.
Sunday market on Brick Lane. East London 2002.
Bethnal Green Tube. East London 1989.
Singer at the Mela. Brick Lane 2000.
Michael Myers in the Golden Heart pub. East London 2016.

Around East London (25)

October 28, 2024
Playing the recorder in Cheshire Street. East London 2009.
Bethnal Green Road. East London 2004.
Whitechapel Road. East London 2002.
Conversation on Whitechapel Road. East London 1982.
Having a break and smoke on Brick Lane. East London 2003.
Spinning wheel on Hanbury Street. East London 1984.
Having a break in Puma Court. East London 2003.
Brick Lane Mosque. East London 2005.

Around Liverpool (63)

October 25, 2024
Smithdown Road, Liverpool 1979.
Smithdown Road. Liverpool, April 2022.
Out in Town. Liverpool March 2024.
London Road. Liverpool 2017.
In town. Liverpool, August 2024.
In town. Liverpool, August 2024.
On the 79 bus. Liverpool, March 2024.
Wearing headphones. Liverpool, January 2023.
In town. Liverpool, August 2024.

Around East London (24)

October 15, 2024
Sclater Street Sunday market. East London 2003.
An old hand cart in the Sunday Petticoat Lane market. East London 1982.
Whitechapel Road. East London, 2016.
Going into Hackney. East London, 2008.
Bus stop in Stepney. East London, 2006.
Bus stop in Whitechapel. East London 1984.
Bus stop in Whitechapel. East London 1984.
Sclater Street. East London, 2024.
Sclater Street. East London, 2000.
Barber shop on Brick Lane. East London, 2003.

Climate Change, Birds and Humans

August 28, 2024
‘Still flying’ – mixed media on paper 2024

The seagull in this image is a metaphor for what is happening to the climate in the world today. Although they appear to be thriving research has shown seagulls to be in rapid decline. In the UK they are on the red list – the highest level – for British bird species of concern, because their population has dropped by 72% in 55 years!

When I made this work I imagined the bird flying over Pacific Islands where climate change is an existential threat to the people living there that could lead to the risk of displacement and migration. This ‘forced’ migration means the loss of ancestral homelands, unique and lasting ties to land, and vital cultural identities.

It’s estimated that 49 million people in East Asia and the Pacific will be forced to flee their homes due to climate change by 2050.

It’s our world economic system – capitalism – that has brought this about. It’s a system that knows the price of everything but the value of nothing – hence the bar code on the seagulls wing.


Around Liverpool (62)

August 26, 2024
Albert Docks. Liverpool 1979.
View from New Brighton. Liverpool August 2024.
View of the Anglican Cathedral from a now demolished estate. Liverpool 1980s.
Whitechapel. Liverpool August 2024.
Bus stop at Queens Square. Liverpool August 2024.
Near Williamson Square. Liverpool August 2024.
Albert Docks. Liverpool 1979.
Homeless in Bold Street. Liverpool August 2024.
Near Williamson Square. Liverpool August 2024.

If you want to arrange a visit to see Phil Maxwell’s studio and gallery then email: maxwellphotouk@yahoo.co.uk.

Headphone Portrait

August 5, 2024
‘Headphone Portrait’ – mixed media on canvas 38x20cm

If you want to arrange a visit to see Phil Maxwell’s studio and gallery then email: maxwellphotouk@yahoo.co.uk.

Around Liverpool (61)

July 25, 2024
On the phone in town. Liverpool, April 2024.
On the 79 bus. Liverpool January 2023.
The glass dome of the botanical gardens in Sefton Park. Liverpool, April 2024.
Bicycles in Toxteth. Liverpool 1982.
Standing for applause at the Liverpool Philharmonic. Liverpool, April 2024.
Irish music night at the Edinburgh pub. Liverpool July 2024.
St John’s Lane. Liverpool, April 2024.
Having a laugh in Toxteth. Liverpool 1982.
Irish music night at the Edinburgh pub. Liverpool July 2024.

If you want to arrange a visit to see Phil Maxwell’s studio and gallery then email: maxwellphotouk@yahoo.co.uk.

Around Liverpool (60)

July 23, 2024
Derelict housing. Toxteth 1979.
London Road. Liverpool August 2022.
Having a drink in a pub in Lodge Lane. Liverpool 1978.
On the 79 bus. Liverpool December 2023.
Albert Docks. Liverpool 1979.
Pupils at St Michael’s school Mill Road (now demolished). Liverpool 1980.
Inner city – now demolished – estate. Liverpool 1980s.
The Edinburgh pub. Wavertree, January 2024.
Inner city – now demolished – estate. Liverpool 1980s.
Fishing trawler on the River Mersey, 1977.

If you want to arrange a visit to see Phil Maxwell’s studio and gallery then email: maxwellphotouk@yahoo.co.uk.

138th Durham Miners Gala

July 15, 2024

This year is also the 40th anniversary of the miners strike and the battle of Orgreave and today is the 138th Durham Miners Gala.

In June Labour pledged they would hold an enquiry into what happened. Labour’s election manifesto promised “to ensure, through an investigation or inquiry, that the truth about the events at Orgreave comes to light”. Given the fact that Starmer has a track record of breaking promises and looking after the interests of the establishment, pressure needs to be maintained to achieve justice for the miners. It’s the first week of a Labour government and the signs are not good for the working class. The government seems more concerned with building armaments, maintaining austerity and continuing the privatisation of the NHS.

The annual Durham Miners’ Gala is a unique and inspiring spectacle. It is Europe’s biggest celebration of community, international solidarity, and working class culture. More than 200,000 people pack the streets of Durham to enjoy the sights and sounds of The Big Meeting. Hosted by the Durham Miners’ Association since 1871, the Big Meeting is a vibrant carnival of hope and unity. It is a living expression of the Durham Miners’ motto – ‘the past we inherit, the future we build’. There is nothing like it anywhere else in the world.

Below are some photographs of previous celebrations and some historic photographs taken during the miners strike.

NUM banner. Durham 2018.
East London women in support of the miners, Kent c. 1984
East London women in support of the miners, Kent 1984.
Justice for the Shrewsbury pickets. Durham 2018.
Women in support of the miners, London c. 1984
Women in support of the miners, London 1984.
NUM banner with Kier Hardie, Marx and Lenin. Durham 2018.
Posters supporting the miners. Brick Lane Bridge 1984
Posters supporting the miners. Brick Lane Bridge, London 1984.
Liverpool Labour Councillors banner with one of the 47 Councillors who stood up to Thatcher, Tony Rimmer. Durham 2018.
Collecting food and money for the miners in East London 1984
Collecting food and money for the miners. Watney market. East London
1984.
Photomontage (2024).
East London meeting in support of the miners, c. 1984
East London meeting in support of the miners, York Hall 1984.
NUM banner with Nye Bevan. Durham 2018.
Collecting food and money for the miners in East London 1984
Collecting food and money for the miners in East London, 1984.
Three generations watching the parade of banners and brass bands. Durham 2018.
Albert Bownes, Striking Miner, Kiveton Park, c. 1984
Albert Bownes, Striking Miner, Kiveton Park, 1984.
Dog supporting the Miners on strike, 1980's
Dog supporting the Miners on strike, London 1984.
Striking Miner, Kiveton Park, c. 1984
Striking Miner, Kiveton Park, 1984.
Poll Tax Demo with Yorkshire Miners banner, Trafalgar Square 1990
Poll Tax Demo with Yorkshire Miners banner, Trafalgar Square, 1990.

If you want to arrange a visit to see Phil Maxwell’s studio and gallery then email: maxwellphotouk@yahoo.co.uk.

Around Liverpool (59)

July 11, 2024
Albert Docks. Liverpool 1979.
Wearing headphones on Picton Road. Liverpool August, 2022.
Wearing headphones on London Road. Liverpool August 2022.
Reading with a smile on London Road. Liverpool August 2022.
On the 79 bus. Liverpool August 2022.
View of the Radio City Tower from a now demolished estate. Liverpool 1980s.
Lime Street. Liverpool August 2022.
Having a drink in a pub in Lodge Lane. Liverpool 1978.
Bus terminus at night. Liverpool One. Liverpool, December 2023.

If you want to arrange a visit to see Phil Maxwell’s studio and gallery then email: maxwellphotouk@yahoo.co.uk.

Inequality

July 10, 2024
‘Inequality’ – mixed media on paper 2024

The image above was derived from three photographs. The background clouds are from Cambodia. The man in the suit was photographed in the financial district of the City of London and last but not least the boy carrying goods on his head was spotted weaving his way through a crowded street in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The boy – repeated 5 times provides a runway for the man. Both are oblivious to each other but are inextricably linked in terms of the way inequality is locked into the worlds economic system through the dependance of the accumulation of vast wealth – concentrated in the hands of a few – acrued from cheap labour and the pillaging of raw materials from poor countries. The world is vastly unequal, extreme wealth coexists with extreme poverty. The poorest 50% of the global population share just 8% of total income. At the same time, the richest 10% of the global population earn over 50% of total income.

Inequality is deadly. According to Oxfam International it contributes to the deaths of at least 21,300 people each day—or one person every four seconds. This is a highly conservative estimate for deaths resulting from hunger, lack of access to healthcare and climate breakdown in poor countries, as well as gender-based violence faced by women and rooted in patriarchy and sexist economic systems. Millions of people would still be alive today if they had had a Covid-19 vaccine—but they were denied a chance while big pharmaceutical corporations continue to hold monopoly control of these technologies.

Here’s a hard truth that the Covid-19 pandemic brought home to us. Inequality does not only create immense suffering: it contributes to the death of 1 person every 4 seconds.  

Over the past two years, people have died when they contracted an infectious disease because they did not get vaccines in time. They have died of other illnesses because they could not afford private care. They have died of hunger because they could not afford to buy food. Women have died due to gender-based violence.

And while they died, the richest people in the world got richer than ever and some of the largest companies made unprecedented profits.

Inequality is not an abstract issue. It has devastating, real-world consequences. It has made the Covid-19 pandemic deadlier, more prolonged and more damaging. It is rigged into our economic systems and is tearing our societies apart.

Inequality is deadly for the future of our world. The extreme concentration of money, power, and influence of a few at the very top has pernicious effects on the rest of us. We all suffer from a heating planet when rich countries fail to address the effects of their responsibility for an estimated 92% of all excess historic emissions. We all lose out when the world’s wealthiest 1% use double the carbon emissions of the bottom 50%, or when a few powerful corporations are able to monopolize production over life-saving vaccines and treatments in a global pandemic.

If you want to arrange a visit to see Phil Maxwell’s studio and gallery then email: maxwellphotouk@yahoo.co.uk.

Around Liverpool (58)

July 1, 2024
View of the Anglican Cathedral from a now demolished estate. Liverpool 1980s.
Wavertree High Street. Liverpool, January 2024.
Wavertree High Street. Liverpool, January 2024.
St Michael’s school, Mill Road. Liverpool 1979.
View of the Anglican Cathedral from town. Liverpool, March 2024.
Walking past a bus stop in town. Liverpool January 2024.
Wavertree High Street. Liverpool, January 2024.
Inside a shopping Centre. Liverpool March 2024.
Homeless near Williamson Square.Liverpool, January 2024.
Lodge Lane, Liverpool c. 1980
Lodge Lane, Liverpool, 1980.

To book a free studio and gallery visit to see Phil Maxwell’s work leave your contact details on the comment section below and we will be in touch.

Around Liverpool (57)

June 26, 2024
On the 79 bus. Liverpool 2017.
London Road. Liverpool, January 2023.
View through the window of a derelict house in Toxteth. Liverpool 1979.
Picton Road. Liverpool, March 2024.
On the phone near Picton Clock.
Picton Road. Liverpool August 2022.
On the 79 bus. Liverpool January 2023.
Smithdown Road. Liverpool April 2022.
Homeless. Liverpool March 2024.
Posties on strike. Liverpool August 2022.

To book a free studio and gallery visit to see Phil Maxwell’s work leave your contact details on the comment section below and we will be in touch.

Around Liverpool (56)

June 19, 2024
Early evening in Town. Liverpool March 2024.
Lodge Lane pub. Liverpool 1980 (Bishopsgate Collection)
Drinking a pint in a Lodge Lane pub. Liverpool 1980.
Passenger in Central station. Liverpool April 2022.
Caryl Gardens. Liverpool 1978.
The Edinburgh pub, Wavertree. Liverpool March 2024.
Sefton Park. Liverpool 1979.
Cyclist delivering food near the Catholic Cathedral. Liverpool March 2024.
Children playing in Toxteth. Liverpool 1977.
On the 79 bus. Liverpool, August 2022.
Demonstration against unemployment. Liverpool early 1980s.

To book a free studio and gallery visit to see Phil Maxwell’s work leave your contact details on the comment section below and we will be in touch.

Market Trader

June 16, 2024
‘Market Trader’ – mixed media on paper 2024.

The load that this market trader was pulling reminded me of the food containers that are loaded onto aircraft. I imagined him flying through space with his goods ready to be sold on Whitechapel market – where I originally photographed him.

Around Liverpool (55)

June 15, 2024
Outside a pub on Wavertree High Street. Liverpool August 2022.
The Albert Pub, Lark Lane. Liverpool 1977.
The Albert Pub, Lark Lane. Liverpool 1977.
Inside a pub on Smithdown Road. Liverpool April 2022.
Lark Lane. Liverpool 1977.
London Road. Liverpool August 2022.
Passing a betting shop in Wavertree. Liverpool 1977.
Lodge Lane. Liverpool 1976.
Picton Road. Liverpool, August 2022.

To book a free studio and gallery visit to see Phil Maxwell’s work leave your contact details on the comment section below and we will be in touch.

Around Liverpool (54)

June 12, 2024
In town. Liverpool January 2024.
Lodge Lane, Liverpool 1982.
Cyclist at the gates of the Mystery park. Liverpool, January 2024.
On the phone in town. Liverpool March 2024.
Outside a shop on Picton Road. Liverpool, December 2023.
Church Road. Liverpool 2017.
Liverpool 8, 1979.

To book a free studio and gallery visit to see Phil Maxwell’s work leave your contact details on the comment section below and we will be in touch.

Greek Gate

June 10, 2024

A a photographer I’ve always been aware of the innate beauty of ordinary things. This piece grew from a photograph I took recently in Greece of part of a metal gate. When I first saw it I was reminded of a Rothko colour field painting. Probably that was a good start for the development of this piece. My intervention with the two blue stripes were prompted by the arbitrary spots of blue that seemed to emerge from specs of rust on the gate. The composition was linked together by a collaged torn strip of paper from a yellow bag used in a bakery.

‘Greek Gate’ – mixed media on paper 2024.

To book a free studio and gallery visit to see Phil Maxwell’s work leave your contact details on the comment section below and we will be in touch.

World Streets (46 )

June 5, 2024
Bus Stop In Dhaka. Bangladesh 2008.
Waiting at a bus stop in town. Liverpool, March 2018.
Young market trader in Chittagong. Bangladesh 2008.
Cheshire Street c.1985
Selling toilet roles in Cheshire Street. East London 1985.
Chittagong market. Bangladesh 2008.
Whitechapel Market 2014
Two women in Whitechapel Market. East London 2014.
Cattle pulling a cart in Dhaka. Bangladesh 1990s.
Five on a motorcycle in Luang Prabang. Laos, February 2018.
Boy looking for materials that can be recycled. Dhaka, Bangladesh 2008.
Playing cricket in Wavertree. Liverpool 1978.

To book a free studio and gallery visit to see Phil Maxwell’s work leave your contact details on the comment section below and we will be in touch.

Brick Lane Shopping

June 2, 2024
‘Brick Lane Shopping’ – mixed media on paper 2024.

The woman in this work (photographed in 1983) could often been seen at the Sunday Brick Lane and Sclater Street market in the early 1980s. She would wheel her pushchair around the market looking for bargains. She was particularly fond of stuff left behind by stall holders. There wasn’t much of a working life left in the push chair when this photograph was taken.

To book a free studio and gallery visit to see Phil Maxwell’s work leave your contact details on the comment section below and we will be in touch.

Around East London (23)

May 30, 2024
Window shopping in Hanbury Street. East London 2016.
Hanbury Street c.1984
Hanbury Street. East London 1984.
Whitechapel High Road. East London 2016.
Hanbury Street. East London 2016.
Commercial Street. East London 2016.
Spitalfields market, Commercial Street, London 1983
Salvaging vegetables at Spitalfields market, Commercial Street. East London 1983.
Homeless man on Brick Lane. East London 2002.
Brick Lane c.1983
Brick Lane. East London 1983.
Whitechapel Road. East London 2016.

To book a free studio and gallery visit to see Phil Maxwell’s work leave your contact details on the comment section below and we will be in touch.

The Sea

May 28, 2024

One way or another we are all connected to the sea and dependent on it. On a recent visit to Kyparissi in the south of Greece I found myself relaxed by the sounds and movement of waves on the beach. It was an almost hypnotic experience and I thought about the way human activity is having a dreadful impact on the oceans of the world. The sea also links us to the moon and wider universe and is a constant reminder of our frailty and insignificance. I’ve tried to explore some of these ideas in this mixed media piece on paper.

‘The Sea’ – mixed media on paper, 2024.

To book a free studio and gallery visit to see Phil Maxwell’s work leave your contact details on the comment section below and we will be in touch.

Around Liverpool (53)

May 27, 2024
Delivering food. Liverpool, February 2024.
Bus stop on Lodge Lane. Liverpool 1977.
Friday night in town. Liverpool February 2024.
Man walking near the Anglican Cathedral. Liverpool 1978.
Homeless man with his dog. Liverpool February 2024.
Construction vehicle near the Anglican Cathedral. Liverpool 1998.
Anglican Cathedral. Liverpool 1973.
Old Swan. Liverpool 2017.
Outside a pub in Wavertree. Liverpool 1978.
Conversation in town. Liverpool March 2024.

To book a free studio and gallery visit to see Phil Maxwell’s work leave your contact details on the comment section below and we will be in touch.

Around Liverpool (52)

May 23, 2024
Outside a betting shop in Wavertree. Liverpool 1979.
Bus stop on Picton Road. Liverpool, March 2024.
Launderette in Toxteth. Liverpool 1980.
Outside a supermarket in Allerton. Liverpool March 2024.
St Michael’s school, Mill Road. Liverpool 1979.
The Edinburgh pub. Wavertree, January 2024.
In town. Liverpool, March 2024.
Walking home. Liverpool 1979.
On the 79 bus. Liverpool, March 2024.
Traffic near the Anglican Cathedral. Liverpool 1998.

To book a free studio and gallery visit to see Phil Maxwell’s work leave your contact details on the comment section below and we will be in touch.

World Streets (45)

May 21, 2024
New York 2005
Manhattan. New York 2005.
Street scene. Barcelona 2017.
Man with a pushchair. Mile End Road. East London 2010.
Man with a pushchair. Mile End Road. East London 2010.
Barcelona 2005
Skate boarding in Barcelona 2005.
Skateboard, Whitechapel Rd
Skateboarding on, Whitechapel Road. London 1985.
Marrakech 2005
Coversation in Marrakech, 2005.
Conversation outside the launderette on Wavertree High Street. Liverpool, December 16th 2018.
South India 1990
Children playing. South India 1990.
Children playing on street. Stepney 1980's
Children playing on the street in Stepney. East London 1983.
A Lady walking past the Hotel Pommeraye. Nantes, France 2011
A Lady walking past the Hotel Pommeraye. Nantes, France 2011.
Woman with a walking stick. Barcelona 2017.

To book a free studio and gallery visit to see Phil Maxwell’s work leave your contact details on the comment section below and we will be in touch.

Around Liverpool (51)

May 19, 2024
Lodge Lane Liverpool 2014
Lodge Lane. Liverpool 2014.
Liverpool 2005
Liverpool, 2005.
Picton Road Liverpool 2015
Waiting at a bus stop on Picton Road. Liverpool 2015.
Liverpool City Centre 2015
Bold Street, Liverpool 2015.
Liverpool City Centre 2015
Liverpool City Centre 2015.
Liverpool 2007
Wall posters in Liverpool, 2007.
Liverpool City Centre 2015
Liverpool City Centre, 2015.
Liverpool City Centre 2015
On the phone in Liverpool. City Centre 2015.
Liverpool City Centre 2015
Liverpool City Centre, 2015.
'Jobs not bombs', Liverpool 1980s
‘Jobs not bombs’. Demonstration in Liverpool, 1980s.

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Around East London (22)

May 16, 2024
Mobile phone. Brick Lane, London 2012.
On the phone on Brick Lane. East London 2012.
Bethnal Green Road 2012
Bethnal Green Road. East London 2012
Brick Lane 2012
Brick Lane. East London 2012.
Sclater Street 2015
Sclater Street. East London 2015.
Hanbury Street 2012
Eating in Hanbury Street. East London 2012.
Sclater Street 2012
Sclater Street market. East London 2012.
Lunch on Hanbury Street. East London, 2012.
Brick Lane 2012
Brick Lane. East London 2012.
Brick Lane 2012
Brick Lane market. East London 2012.
Brick Lane 2012
Having a rest on Brick Lane. East London 2012.

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Around Liverpool (50)

April 30, 2024
Smithdown Road. Liverpool 2022.
Outside a pub, Wellington Road. Liverpool 2022.
Waiting for a bus on Picton Road. Liverpool 2023.
Campaigning outside a One Stop Shop closed down by the Council on Picton Road. Liverpool 2022.
Distant view of the Anglican Cathedral. Liverpool 1882.
Closer view of the Anglican Cathedral. Liverpool 1978.
Knife and fork cafe on Smithdown Road. Liverpool 1979.
Walking down Lodge. Liverpool 1982.
Two Trade Unionists sharing a joke on workers memorial day. Liverpool 2022.
Inside the Black Cat pub on Smithdown Road. Liverpool 2022.

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Water And Sun

April 25, 2024

The mobile reflective rhythms of sunlight bouncing off water can have a calming and hypnotic influence on the mind. The same with watching the flames in a burning fire at night. Humans have been staring at such things from time immemorial and each second of the experience is unique to the viewer but also, paradoxically, part of a common visual heritage dating from ancient times. Fading tropical sunlight on a pool in Java was the inspiration for this piece.

‘Water and Sun’ – mixed media on paper 2024.

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World Streets (45)

April 22, 2024
Evening meal. Laos 2018.
Smiling market Trader. Laos 2018.
Entrance to Budapest market 2003.
Smiles in in Barcelona. December 2017.
Smiling Chef. Laos 2018.
Budapest market 2003.
Market Trader with child. Laos 2018.
Bus on a bridge. Budapest 2003.
Walking across a bridge. Budapest 2003.

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Whitechapel Dreams

April 19, 2024

Have you ever considered the millions of people who’ve walked down a particular street over the years? This piece attempts to explore that. The woman on Whitechapel Road (photographed in the 1980s) is no longer with us but I can easily imagine her when I walk down Whitechapel market in the East End of London. The image combines day and night and different decades. Imagination has its own special reality that is capable of exploding the concept of time. What is time anyway?

‘Whitechapel Dreams’ – mixed media on paper 2024.

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World Streets (44)

April 16, 2024
Man in Melaka. Malaysia 2019.
Haircut in Melaka. Malaysia 2019.
Haircut by the river in Sylhet. Bangladesh 1990s.
Afternoon Snooze in Melaka. Malaysia 2019.
Whitechapel Road c.1985
Having a rest on Whitechapel Road. East London, 1985.
On a ‘Grab’. Hanoi 2019.
Street scene. Hanoi 2019.
Holding hands. Barcelona 2017.
Having a rest. Hanoi 2019.
sun
Resting in the sun on Lawrence Road. Liverpool, May 2018.

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World Streets (43)

April 9, 2024
Williamson square. Liverpool 2016.
Williamson square. Liverpool 2016.
Man on roller skates taking a break. Paris 2004.
Looking through a window in New York, 2015.
Looking through a window in New York, 2015.
A crowd at Paris Pride, 2004.
Bangladesh c.1992
Three passengers in a Rickshaw. Bangladesh 1992.
Wearing a hat and a mask on a bike. Hoi An, Vietnam 2016.
Wearing a hat and a mask on a bike. Hoi An, Vietnam 2016.
Three children. Liverpool 1971 (bishopsgate Institute Collecction).
Three children on the street. Liverpool 1971.
Barcelona 2005.
Barcelona, 2005.
Brick Lane 1999
Woman sitting on an abandoned chair in Brick Lane. East London 1999.
On the phone in the street. Rome, 2018.

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World Streets (42)

April 5, 2024
Musician. Java 2020
Moving produce. Paris 2010.
Mobile food booth. Java 2020.
Conversation on the street. Paris 2010.
Market stallholder reading a newspaper. Java 2020.
Man reading a newspaper. Bishopsgate Goods Yard c. 2000
Man reading a newspaper. Bishopsgate Goods Yard. East London 2000.
Child on a bike. Paris 2010.
Market stallholder having a snooze. Java 2020.
Having a snooze in Whitechapel market. East London 1986.
Market stallholder, early evening. Java 2020.

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Hastings Beach

March 25, 2024
‘Machine on Hastings Beach’ – Mixed media on paper 2024.

Hastings beach can be a thrill in so many different ways. Besides the magnificent sea, beach and fishing vessels it is also the graveyard for a good number of abandoned vehicles used to pull fishing boats onto the beach for repair. If you enjoy a scene that hints at a post apocalypse landscape without any art direction then you’ll enjoy the slowly corroding metal machines on Hastings beach; it’s like an open air museum for heavy duty internal combustion engines of the 20th century. One such machine with its circular geometry, dangling wires and rusting bolts was the inspiration for ‘Machine On Hastings Beach’.

Hastings 2014
Abandoned vehicle on Hastings beach, 2014.
Hastings 2014
Fishing boat on Hastings beach, 2014.

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World Streets (41)

March 23, 2024
Fruit seller in Sylhet. Bangladesh 1995.
Fruit seller. Budapest 2003.
Staanding outside her front door in a village near Dhaka. Bangladesh 2009.
Having a rest. Budapest 2003.
Playing on the street in Sylhet. Bangladesh 1995.
Children playing in Toxteth. Liverpool 1981.
Carrying tea in Sylhet. Bangladesh 1995.
Crossing the railway track. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.
Walking along a railway line near Dhaka. Bangladesh 2009.
Portrait with graffiti in the background. Budapest 2008.

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World Streets (40)

March 18, 2024
Motorcyclist in Hanoi. Vietnam 2018.
Budapest, 2005.
Motorcyclist in Hanoi. Vietnam 2018.
Budapest, 2003.
Looking up in Spitalfields Market. East London, August 2018.
Cyclist in Hanoi. Vietnam 2018.
Having a rest. Budapest, 2003.
Having a rest in Lord Street. Liverpool, December 2018.
On the phone in Hanoi. Vietnam 2018.
Conversation. Budapest, 2003.

To book a free studio and gallery visit to see Phil Maxwell’s work leave your contact details on the comment section below and we will be in touch.

Woman With A Cathode Ray Tube & Camera

March 16, 2024
‘Woman with a cathode ray tube and camera’ – mixed media on paper 2024.

In the 1960s, when public libraries were plentiful, I would spend hours at the central reference library in Coventry looking through service manuals for electrical appliances. I was fascinated by how Radios, TVs and tape recorders worked and I would bury my head into manuals containing circuit diagrams. On reflection I don’t think I was any the wiser regarding the science behind the appliances we all took for granted but I was drawn to the circuit diagrams and illustrations that were a guide to engineers who used to repair equipment before the era where everything was just thrown away and replaced with an ‘improved’ model. Probably the diagrams resonated with the technical drawing I was studying and attempting to do at school at the time.

I recently discovered a book – ‘Radio and TV Servicing 1970-71 Models’ at a nearby charity shop. It immediately pulled me back to my youth and my attraction to circuit diagrams. The 50p I paid for the book was the cheapest nostalgia trip I’ve experienced. Now I understand I was drawn to the strange beauty of the diagrams because they also reminded me of road maps and the mysterious inscriptions on ancient Egyptian monuments, tombs and buildings. I immediately went to work in incorporating the diagrams into some artwork.

The woman with the trolley bag is embellished with a major invention during her life time: the cathode ray tube to which which I’ve added the lens of an early 20th century camera (which preceded television). The short time, in historic terms, of the existence of beguiling electrical diagrams with valves and other pre miniaturised cicuitry hardly competes with the power of ancient Egyptian iconagraphy but it still has a visual allure which deserves the interest of artists.

A page from my 50p charity shop book find.
Hieroglyphic writing, photographed in the Liverpool World Museum. 747 BC – 656 BC (Dynasty 25).

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World Streets (39)

March 13, 2024
Two boys on a bridge in Sylhet. Bangladesh 1990s.
Walking under a bridge in Spitalfields. East London, 2002.
Man next to a car. Prague 2024.
Woman with a wheelbarrow in Dhaka. Bangladesh 2009.
On the phone. Prague 2024.
Workers in a tea garden in Sylhet. Bangladesh 1990s.
Tea
Having a cup of tea in Cheshire Street. East London, 1984.
Passing a supermarket. Prague 2024.
Young girl in Sylhet. Bangladesh 1990s.
Crossing the street. Prague 2024.
Man in a boat in Sylhet. Bangladesh 1990s.
Outside a shop window. Prague 2024.
Man next to a shop window. Rome, 2018.
On the phone. Prague 2024.
Walking the dog on Picton Road. Liverpool, May 2018.
Man with a dog. Prague 2024.
To book a free studio and gallery visit to see Phil Maxwell’s work leave your contact details on the comment section below and we will be in touch.

International Women’s Day 2024

March 8, 2024

Today is International Women’s day. These photographs celebrate women the world over. I hope they challenge the idea that progress is largely brought about by men. We still have a long way to go before injustice based purely on a persons sex is eradicated. This year’s global theme, ‘Women in the Changing World of Work’, celebrates the achievements of women in the workforce and draws attention to the impact of changes in the world of work on women, both in terms of opportunities, as well as growing concerns such as the informality of labour and instability of livelihoods and income. By unlocking the full potential of women in the world of work, we can strive towards ending poverty, promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth, reducing inequalities within and between countries, and achievement gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls. “Women’s freedom is the sign of social freedom.” – Rosa Luxemburg.

Free Palestine demonstration, Liverpool May 15th 2021.
Pensioners campaigning to save Liverpool Women's Hospital
Pensioners campaigning to save Liverpool Women’s Hospital in 2016.
Campaigner supporting refugees, February 2023.
Bangladesh c.1994
Grinding herbs. Bangladesh, 1994.
'Cut war not welfare.' NHS London demonstration 2017.
‘Cut war not welfare.’ NHS London demonstration 2017.
Tea workers. Photomontage 2012
Tea workers in Bangladesh with London as a backdrop. Photomontage 2012
NHS Not Trident. Manchester, October 2017.
NHS Not Trident. Manchester, October 2017.
Tea worker. Bangladesh 1996
Tea worker. Bangladesh 1996.
NHS demonstration. London 2017.
Demonstrating against the privatisation of the NHS. London 2017.
‘We Can’t Pay Our Bills’, Mixed media collage used in the campaign against the cost of living crisis. 2022.
Save Charing Cross. NHS demonstration. March 2017.
Save Charing Cross. NHS demonstration. March 2017.
Dhaka Bangladesh 1994
Woman in a Dhaka market. Bangladesh 1994.
NHS is not for sale. Manchester, October 2017.
NHS is not for sale. Manchester, October 2017.
‘Porto’, Mixed Media photomonage. Portugal 2022.
Sewing. Chaing Mai, Thailand 2017.
Chaing Mai, Thailand 2017.
Free Palestine, Liverpool May 15th 2021.
Anti BNP demo outside John Scurr school c. 1984
Anti BNP demo outside John Scurr school, East London 1984.
Protest, Whitechapel 2008
Protest against education cuts in Whitechapel. East London 2008.
Demonstration against NHS cuts. London 1987
Demonstration against NHS cuts. London 1987.
Nurse demonstrating outside the London Hospital
Nurse demonstrating outside the London Hospital against NHS cuts. East London 2011.
East London women in support of the miners, Kent c. 1984
East London women in support of the miners, Kent 1984.
Trump protest, Liverpool 2017
Anti Trump protest, Liverpool 2017
Trump protest, Liverpool 2017
Anti Trump protest, Liverpool 2017.
Street seller in Hanoi. Vietnam 2019.
Speaking up on behalf of women’s rights. Liverpool, March 2019.
NHS
Campaigner Lesley Mahmood talks to the Merseyside Pensioners Association about the campaign to save the Liverpool Women’s Hospital. Liverpool, January 2018.
Health campaigner Felicity Dowling
Health campaigner Felicity Dowling. Liverpool 2016.
East village. New York 2005.
East village. New York 2005.
Trump protest, Liverpool 2017
Anti Trump protest, Liverpool 2017.
Deep in thought. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.
Inspirational banner for International Women’s Day. Liverpool, March 2019.
My mother, Mary, smiling on the underground. London 2004.
My mother, Mary, smiling on the underground. London 2004.
Protester in Clayton Square, Liverpool 2017.
Protester in Clayton Square, Liverpool 2017.
Demonstration agaonst racism, Newham 1980s
Demonstration agaonst racism, Newham 1980s
Women in support of the miners, London c. 1984
Women in support of the miners, London 1984.
Liverpool Pride March, 2016.
Liverpool Pride 2016.
Women Construction Workers in Bangladesh, 1990s.
Women Construction Workers. Bangladesh 1992.
A member of the travelling public who supported the strike. Lime Street station, Liverpool.
A member of the travelling public who supported the RMT strike. Lime Street station, Liverpool.
Street conversation. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.
Black Lives Matter, Liverpool 2016
Black Lives Matter, Liverpool 2016.
Discussing the strike. Liverpool, March 7th 2018.
Discussing the UCU strike. Liverpool, March 7th 2018.
Liverpool 2016
Junior Doctors on strike. Liverpool 2016.
Street trader, Jogjakarta 2020.
UCU picket fighting for a fair pension. Liverpool, March 7th 2018.
UCU picket fighting for a fair pension. Liverpool, March 7th 2018.

To book a free studio and gallery visit to see Phil Maxwell’s work leave your contact details on the comment section below and we will be in touch.

Happy On Brick Lane

March 6, 2024
‘Happy on Brick Lane’ – mixed media on paper 2024.

The woman depicted in this piece was a frequent visitor on Brick Lane in the early 1980s. She fascinated me because she always seemed to be in a world of her own and was very generous with her smiles. If she spoke it was usually to herself. I’ve attempted to show her in the alternative universe she seemed to inhabit.

To book a free studio and gallery visit to see Phil Maxwell’s work leave your contact details on the comment section below and we will be in touch.

World Streets (38)

March 5, 2024
Street scene with a boy on a bike. Paris 2010.
Motorcyclists in Hanoi. Vietnam 2018.
Waiting for the bus. Paris 2010.
Bus stop read on Whitechapel Road. East London, June 2007.
Bus stop read on Whitechapel Road. East London, June 2007.
Shop window. Paris 2010.
Passing a window display. Liverpool, October 2017.
Passing a window display. Liverpool, October 2017.
Worker pulling some pallets. Paris 2010.
Pulling goods in Hanoi. Vietnam 2018.

To book a free studio and gallery visit to see Phil Maxwell’s work leave your contact details on the comment section below and we will be in touch.

Around Liverpool (49)

March 1, 2024
Woman with a trolley bag on Wavertree High Street. Liverpool January
2024.
Wavertree High Street. Liverpool January 2024.
On the phone. Liverpool January 2024.
On the 79 bus. Liverpool January 2024.
London Road. Liverpool 2017.
Brushing the street. Liverpool 2017.
London Road. Liverpool 2022.
London Road. Liverpool 2022.
Passing the launderette on Wavertree High Street. Liverpool January 2024.

To book a free studio and gallery visit to see Phil Maxwell’s work leave your contact details on the comment section below and we will be in touch.

World Streets (37)

February 28, 2024
Woman on an early morning bike journey in Melaka. Malaysia 2018.
Delivery man on a bike. Berlin 2023.
Selling goods at the night market in Melaka. Malaysia 2018.
Three heads on an advertisement. Berlin 2004.
Night market in Melaka. Malaysia 2018.
Painting on the side of a building. Berlin 2004.
Early morning stroll in Melaka. Malaysia 2018.
Walking past a wall with graffiti. Berlin 2004.
Small shop in Melaka. Malaysia 2018.
Taking a break. Berlin 2004.

To book a free studio and gallery visit to see Phil Maxwell’s work leave your contact details on the comment section below and we will be in touch.

World Streets (36)

February 27, 2024
Whitechapel Road. East London 2003.
Pulling goods in a market in Dhaka. Bangladesh 1990s.
Brick Lane. East London 2003.
The Buriganga river in Dhaka. Bangladesh 2009.
Passing graffiti on Brick Lane. East London 2024.
Rickshaw in Dhaka. Bangladesh 1990s.
Rickshaw in a flooded street in Dhaka. Bangladesh 1990s.
Conversation in Stepney. East London 2006.
Unloading goods in a market in Dhaka. Bangladesh 2009.
Whitechapel Road. East London 2006.
To book a free studio and gallery visit to see Phil Maxwell’s work leave your contact details on the comment section below and we will be in touch.

Around The East End (23)

February 26, 2024
Whitechapel Road. East London 1983.
Wearing headphones on Whitechapel Road. East London 2016.
Two people on the phone in Osborn Street. East London 2013.
Passing a derelict site in Osborn Street. East London 2008.
Crossing the road by the Golden Heart Pub. East London 2022.
Waiting at a bus stop on Canon Street Road. East London 2008.
Taking a break in Middlesex Street. East London 2002.
On the phone in Lamb Street. East London 2016.
Hanbury Street. East London 2016.
To book a free studio and gallery visit to see Phil Maxwell’s work leave your contact details on the comment section below and we will be in touch.

Revd Colin Oxenforth 1945 – 2024

February 19, 2024

Actor, activist, humanitarian and priest Colin Oxenforth touched the lives of many people. I had the good fortune to meet him in the 1970s when he was the vicar at St Margaret’s on Princess Avenue in Liverpool. I saw him very occasionally in church but more frequently in various gay establishments in town. On reflection I think of him as the man who provided pastoral care, humour and marvellous anecdotes to the LGBTQ+ community in the 70s – a time when homophobia was prevalent. When you met him he would ask you if you were OK and take an interest in what you were up to. Self effacing Colin never sought to be the centre of attention but he was a magnet to all kinds of people. His flamboyant, warm personality and humour drew people towards him. He loved Liverpool and was fond of repeating the hilarious conversations he had or ‘overheard’ on the bus, in the supermarket or church.

In his last parish (Christ Church with Saint John, Waterloo) his colleague Revd Gregor J Cuff described him as “an advocate for justice and inclusion” and said Colin had “a wonderful retirement ministry”. Those close to Colin knew that he would in reality never put his feet up and ‘retire’ and reluctantly gave up telling him to do so. He was always on the go, and loved to entertain people using his considerable skills as a cook and raconteur. His parties in the 70s and 80s were legendary and if he wasn’t the host he would light up any room he entered on any other occasion.

Colin in his Merchant Taylors’ school uniform.

Born in Crosby he was a student at Merchant Taylors’ School before going to study theology at St Chad’s College in Durham. Having taken a keen interest in Drama at school he found plenty of opportunities to act at St Chad’s and was a leading member of the Drama Society.

A ‘dramatic’ carnival float photographed outside Durham cathedral. Colin is second from the left.
Colin’s skills in the theatre were evident wherever he went.

As a priest in Toxteth he was held in high regard not just by his own parishoners but by the wider community. With his neighbour and friend, ward Councillor, Margaret Simey he was a fierce critic of Merseyside Police and it’s institutionalised racism.

The Toxteth riots of 1981 emerged during a recession with high unemployment and deep rooted tensions between the local population and the police. Revd Gregor J Cuff recalls how the local community protected Colin’s church and vicarage at that time and told people “This fella is on our side.”

The Merseyside police force had a particularly bad reputation in the area for stopping and searching black youths under the hated ‘sus’ laws. Chief constable Ken Oxford led a police force that regularly arrested and harassed black youth in Toxteth. His astonishing rants at the time speak volumes about the racism that permeated the police force then: “Policemen in general and detectives in particular, are not racialist, despite what many Black groups believe. … Yet they are the first to define the problem of half-castes in Liverpool. Many are the products of liaisons between black seamen and white prostitutes in Liverpool 8, the red-light district. Naturally, they do not grow up with any kind of recognisable home life. Worse still, after they have done the round of homes and institutions, they gradually realise they are nothing.” These comments infuriated Colin and I remember him on a march calling for the resignation of the Chief constable at the time.

Colin studied in Palestine in 1986 and since then has been a campaigner for Palestinian rights. He was always sending emails to people about various campaigns and he never held back from criticising his own church. When Archbishop Welby said he “would never have forgiven himself if he had not supported the Chief Rabbi’s dramatic warning about Jeremyy Corbyn’s Labour Party in the run-up to the 2019 general election”. Colin told me that many Christians were unhappy about this and saw it as part of the Church of England’s failure to challenge the suffering of Palestinians living under brutal Israeli military occupation and settler colonialism. He was equally robust in his criticism of the Church’s attitude towards LGBTQ+ rights.

Colin at the front of a demonstration calling for a ‘Cease fire Now’. Liverpool 2023.

In 2016 I asked Colin if he would be prepared to be interviewed for a film I was making with my partner Hazuan Hashim about Austerity. He agreed to do it without hesitation. You can see Colin’s powerful interview at the end of this blog.

Colin with Hazuan Hashim on a Liverpool march for Palestine, 2019.

Brendan G Carroll writes “I first met Colin Oxenforth in November 1976. He had just arrived in Liverpool to take over as Vicar of the Parish of St Margaret’s, on Princes Road in Toxteth. In those days, I was a music student and lived nearby.

By chance, I had heard that he happened to own a fine Steinway piano and as I needed an available piano of concert standard, on which to practise, I decided to get in touch. From our very first meeting, we bonded over our shared love of classical music and soon enough, practising on his piano became entirely incidental to our friendship. In fact, I don’t recall very much practise being done at all!

Colin already possessed a large record collection and whenever I visited him, he insisted my sitting down to listen to his latest ‘discovery’ or acquisition – along with an invitation to stay for either lunch or dinner – very often both! He was a formidable cook and as an impoverished student, I needed no persuasion to accept.

In the years that followed, we became very close friends, especially when he asked me if I would agree to become church organist at St Margaret’s. It had a fine, original 19th century Willis organ that had been silent for many years until Colin, somehow, raised the necessary funds to pay Rushworth & Dreaper to get it working again. Every Sunday therafter, I would preside at this beautiful old instrument for the morning services, and every Sunday I was inevitably invited to stay for lunch – a lunch that usually lasted until well into the evening.

It must have been around this time that he persuaded me to join the Liverpool Opera Circle, a society of very elderly music lovers (average age 80!) led by the redoubtable Miss Marjorie Hill, who had been its co-founder in 1935! 

It met each month at the Royal Institution on Colquitt St and Colin and I were so much younger than the other members, we were referred to as ‘the boys’. The Opera Circle presented a regular programme of lectures about opera and inevitably, we were invited to give talks to this venerable group. On one memorable evening, we gave a talk together. Our chosen subject was to be an account of the great singers of early 20th century Vienna, to be fully illustrated with rare recordings from Colin’s collection – and a slide show of unique photos.

It was on this occasion that I discovered Colin’s penchant for impersonating famous old opera singers in full ‘drag’ and singing arias in falsetto, something he had been doing very successfully at parties ever since his teenage years.

He decided that we would play a trick on the sweet old ladies and gents of the Liverpool Opera Circle by inventing an entirely fictitious singer for the lecture, and I came up with her name: Madame Wilhelmina von Scheistermeyer who (we decided) had been an early star of the Bayreuth Festival and much married.

As part of the lecture, we had devised a slide show of rare photos of important singers accompanied by equally rare recordings. 99% were genuine, but right at the end, a sepia-toned photo of Mme von Scheistermeyer (in fact, Colin in full regalia) flashed on the screen while we played a cleverly produced, very scratchy, fake 78rpm shellac disc recording of Colin singing an aria by Handel in falsetto, accompanied (deliberately, very badly) by me on his piano.

We presented this as a unique recording from 1907 and the only known copy. The elderly audience, rapt with attention, accepted it all without question.

Afterwards there was a dinner in our honour and Colin could not resist revealing the ruse when we reached the coffee & liqueuers. After revealing our innocent deception to the guests, one of the sprightlier members said:

‘Well I’m not really surprised. When you showed the slide, I said to my husband ‘You know, there’s something very odd about that woman’s bust’!

Colin and I dined out on this story for decades!

I could fill many pages with memories of dear Colin. Our trips together to Germany to see opera, and so many visits to London’s Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in the days when it was still possible to go to London and back in a day and even see an evening performance!

We would arrive late morning, visit all of the record shops, have a late lunch somewhere and finally see an opera in the evening, before catching the midnight train home, with Colin laden with carrier bags of new LPs that he had bought!

So many laughs, so much music, so many delicious meals, but above all, so much loving support to me that I can never forget, something he extended to all of his many friends and indeed to everyone he encountered.

While opera was his passion (and he was an absolute expert in the field) he was, first and foremost, a committed Christian and a much loved Minister in all of the parishes he served.

Much is written these days about ‘Christian values’ and ‘Christian ethics’ but I am not sure most people understand either, though many claim to practise them.

However, if anyone ever asked me what it means to be a Christian, I have always pointed to Colin Oxenforth. If anyone embodied a Christian life, well lived, it was him.

He was one of the most thoroughly good people that I have ever known. His humour, his uproarious & infectious laugh and above all, his immense kindness made him a cherished friend, whose loss leaves a void in my life that cannot be filled.

How I miss his daily phone calls, his emails, and inevitably, those weekly invitations to lunch.     

Thank you for the music, the food and all the laughs, dear Colin. I will never forget you.

Brendan G Carroll with Colin. Liverpool 2017.

Anne San writes “Unfortunately, I had never met Colin before his last admission to Aintree Hospital but was more than happy to help and see him and give support to him and his friends in whatever way I could. I have been a nurse most of my adult life and am usually the go to person for a lot of people and always will try to help in any way I can.

The first time I called to see Colin he was bright and wide awake.  I had been to the national Palestinian march in London and also the Liverpool march and rally for Palestine so I had lots of photos to show him and was able to tell him of the events that previous weekend I knew he was a supporter of the Palestinian cause and so we were able to have a good discussion on the current unfolding events. He was keen to know how the support was going and the size of the demos. We also learnt we both had mutual friends in Waterloo, small world, eh ?

The nurses that attended to Colin when I was there remarked that ‘you would never know he was there as he never asked for anything’ . I realised he was reluctant to tell them about his pain and didn’t want to bother the nurses as he said they worked very hard, and he was very grateful to them. He did agree to tell them when he was in pain …. not sure if he did though?

Even during his own serious illness his concern was for those looking after him and not for himself. I was able to witness the genuine kindness from Colin and the concern of the staff who looked after him. I will always remember us saying goodbye  as we both said Ceasefire Now ! as I left the ward.

I wasn’t privy to knowing Colin long, but my own lasting impression was of a gentle, well-educated man, full of compassion for his fellow human beings and who wasn’t afraid to speak out when injustices were committed. When he did speak of his diagnosis his response was simple and humbling “I’m in Gods hands now”.

Colin, I wish I’d met you sooner,  cos I would have known you longer. Rest in Peace my newest friend”.

Colin (left) on stage.
Colin in a dramatic pose on stage.
Colin as an opera Diva.
Colin’s opera Diva make up box with a passport photo.
Colin’s Diva Jewellery box.
Colin wearing his vestments.
Colin as an ordinand.
A very young Colin.
A slightly older Colin.
Colin at junior school.
Colin as a teenager.
Colin’s fridge magnets.
The last photo I took of Colin. On a march for Palestine near the Metropolitan Cathedral and the start of Hope Street Street. November 2023.
Colin speaking about the impact of austerity on people’s lives.
Colin speaking about Palestine.
Colin speaking about Jeremy Corbyn.

Justice For The Miners!

February 18, 2024

The Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign includes ex-miners, Trades Unionists, activists and others who are determined to get justice for miners who were victims of police lies and cover ups at Orgreave in June 1984. Most of these photographs were taken during the time of the Miner’s strike.

Orgreave Coking Plant, now demolished, stood on the outskirts of Sheffield, just 8 miles from Hillsborough Stadium , scene of the Hillsborough disaster on 15th April 1989, in which 96 Liverpool supporters were, as the jury at the recent inquests determined, unlawfully killed. The plant supplied coke to the power station at Scunthorpe some 20 miles away.

On that day, 95 miners were arrested when thousands of police officers from across the country brutally assaulted miners striking to defend jobs and mining communities. At subsequent court cases the evidence presented by South Yorkshire Police was heavily discredited and 39 miners were later awarded out of court settlements.

Yet no police officers, some of whom were told not to write anything in their note books on June 18 were ever charged of any offence despite conclusive evidence of assault, perjury, preventing the course of justice and misconduct in public office. Five years later at Hillsborough, history repeated itself when police officers were also instructed not to write anything in their note books. Some of the same senior officers were involved in the aftermath of both scandals.

Striking miner John Dunn (below) told me how he was hit by a police truncheon, thrown onto the floor of a police van and denied medical attention to a wound on his head for hours. Subsequently he was found guilty of trumped up charges in court. All of the miners who were beaten and arrested at Orgreave are still waiting for justice. 2024 marks the 40th anniversary of the miners strike.

Paul Winter (left) and John Dunn
John Dunn photographed in 2016.
East London women in support of the miners, Kent c. 1984
East London women in support of the miners, Kent 1984.
Poll Tax Demo with Yorkshire Miners banner, Trafalgar Square 1990
Poll Tax Demo with Yorkshire Miners banner, Trafalgar Square, 1990.
Brick Lane c.1984
‘All out with the miners’. Brick Lane, London 1984.
Collecting food and money for the miners in East London 1984
Collecting food and money for the miners. Watney market. East London 1984.
Collecting food and money for the miners in East London 1984
Collecting food and money for the miners in East London, 1984.
Albert Bownes, Striking Miner, Kiveton Park, c. 1984
Albert Bownes, Striking Miner, Kiveton Park, 1984.
Dog supporting the Miners on strike, 1980's
Dog supporting the Miners on strike, London 1984.
Protest, Westminster 1984
Protest outside the House of Commons, Westminster 1984.
Striking Miner, Kiveton Park, c. 1984
Striking Miner, Kiveton Park, 1984.
Women in support of the miners, London c. 1984
Women in support of the miners, London 1984.
Kiveton Park (on Strike), 1984
Kiveton Park (on Strike), 1984.
Striking Miner, Kiveton Park, c. 1984
Striking Miner, Kiveton Park, 1984.
Arthur Scargill. Labour Party Conference 1984.
Support the miners meeting at Toynbee Hall 1984
Support the miners meeting at Toynbee Hall, East London 1984.
East London meeting in support of the miners, c. 1984
East London meeting in support of the miners, York Hall 1984.
Inside a pub in Kiveton Park (on Strike), 1984
Inside a pub in Kiveton Park (during the miner’s strike), 1984.
Photomontage (2024).

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Night

February 17, 2024
Late night conversation on Hanbury Street. East London 2018.
Irish music night in The Edinburgh pub, Sandown Lane. Liverpool, May 2019.
Cycling home at night. Melaka, February 2018.
Cycling home at night. Melaka, February 2018.
Selling watches at the night market. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.
Lovers at the night market. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

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East End Markets

February 16, 2024
Man with a woolen hat. Watney market 2017.
Man with a woolen hat. Watney market 2017.
Shop front in Watney Market. East London September 2023.
Sclater Street market, London 2016
Sclater Street market, London 2016
Whitechapel Waste, Whitechapel, London 1987
Whitechapel Waste. London 1987.
A man examining the condition of a LP. Sclater Street market, 1986
A man examining the condition of a LP. Sclater Street market. East London 1986.
Trader engaging potential customers at the Petticoat Lane Sunday market. East London 1994.
An old hand cart in the Sunday Petticoat Lane market. East London 1982.
Brick Lane Market c.1986
Brick Lane Market. East London, 1986.
Having a snooze in Whitechapel market. East London 1986.
Columbia Road Flower Market. East London 2005.

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World Streets (35)

February 15, 2024
Market in Laos 2018.
Moving chairs in Barcelona, 2005.
Moving goods to the market. Hanoi 2019.
Market traders in Laos, 2018.
Skateboarding in Barcelona, 2005.
Whitechapel Market 2014
On the move in Whitechapel Market. East London 2014.
Market traders in Laos, 2018.
Shopping in Barcelona, 2005.
Whitechapel Road 2014
Whitechapel Road. East London 2014.

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World Streets (34)

February 7, 2024
Cyclist and skateboarder in a tunnel. Budapest 2003.
On the street. Barcelona 2021.
On the street. Liverpool 2017.
Conversation on the street. Budapest 2003.
Lime Street. Liverpool 2022.
On the street. Barcelona 2021.
Bus Stop. Liverpool 2017.
On the street. Barcelona 2021.
Crossing the road. Budapest 2003.
Street scene. Marrakech 2005.

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World Streets (33)

February 3, 2024
Street trader at the night market in Melaka. Malaysia 2018.
Underground Station in Berlin 2013.
Corner shop in Melaka. Malaysia 2018.
Selling phones in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia 2018.
Cyclist in Berlin 2023.
Cleaning the street in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia 2018.
Man with sugar cane in Dhaka. Bangladesh 1990s.
Walking in Berlin 2023.
Flooded road in Dhaka. Bangladesh 1990s.

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World Streets (32)

January 30, 2024
Prague 2024.
Smithdown Road. Liverpool 2022.
Berlin 2014
Berlin 2014.
Prague 2024.
Prague 2024.
Passing a fashion poster in Commercial Street. East London, January 2019.
Man with a dog. Prague 2024.
Central Station. Liverpool 2022.
Boy running next to a train
Boy running next to a train, Bangladesh 1992
London Road. Liverpool 2022.
On the phone in London Road. Liverpool 2022.

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World Streets (31)

January 23, 2024
Skateboarding in Barcelona 2017.
Scooting in Barcelona, 2024.
Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia 2018.
Barcelona, 2024.
Barcelona, 2024.
Bus stop in MacDuff. Scotland 2017.
Having a rest in Cullen. Scotland 2017.
Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia 2018.
Elgin. Scotland 2017.
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Around The East End (22)

January 22, 2024
Watney Market, East London 2023.
Watney Market stall holder, East London 2008.
Shopping on Roman Road. East London 2008.
Delivery man on Commercial Road. East London 2006.
Shopkeeper in Stepney. East London 2006.
Conversation on Whitechapel Road. East London 2006.
Sunday market on Brick Lane. East London 2006.

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Stripes

January 19, 2024

Viewing the organisation of a city next to the sea we witness the disappearance of the geometric certainties of urban architecture to the random fluctuations and movements of water. However we would be wrong to think that the sea lacks geometry and organisation. ‘Stripes’ explores the relationship between the land and the sea and the impact of human activity on the planet.

‘Stripes’ – mixed media on paper – 29.7x42cm. 2024.

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Around Liverpool (48)

January 18, 2024
In Wavertree. Liverpool, april 2022.
Cyclist near Smithdown Road. Liverpool 2017.
Outside Central Station. Liverpool, April 2022.
Bus Stop on Wavertree High Street. Liverpool August 2022.
Women at a bus stop. Picton Road, Liverpool 2017.
Women at a bus stop. Picton Road, Liverpool 2017.
London Road. Liverpool 2017.
Cyclist on London Road. Liverpool 2024.
Man on a scooter on Picton Road. Liverpool 2022.
On the phone on London Road. Liverpool 2024.
Bootle, Liverpool 1980
Having a smoke in Bootle, Liverpool 1980.

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Aerial Map

January 17, 2024

The descriptions that the mainstream media use to describe the war on Palestine (they never call it that) have a computer game fantasy element to them. The so called ‘surgical strikes’ of the Israeli air force are illustrated with video footage capturing an exploding missile which somehow miraculously avoids civilian casualties or as the military spin doctors are fond of calling it ‘collateral damage’. Despite huge efforts by the IDF to prevent communications coming out of Gaza (they regularly target telecommunications infrastructure) citizen journalists with mobile phones gather video of what is really happening on the ground. They do this at great risk to themselves and many have been murdered by the IDF.

The first casualty in war is always the truth but thanks to the bravery of Al Jazeera journalists and others the horror of the daily genocide in Gaza is there for all to see. The pioneering journalism of these seekers of truth eclipses the digital imagery from drones and makes BBC reporters giving scripted reports from their hotel balconies in Jerusalem look pathetic.

I’ve often thought that the drone footage released by the Israelis resembles the surface of the moon; unsurprising really when you consider that much of Gaza has been raised to the ground. I’ve tried to reflect this in ‘Aerial Map’ but this lunar surface of genocide also has rivers of blood.

‘Aerial Map’ – Mixed media on paper, 2024.

The Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ) is investigating all reports of journalists and media workers killed, injured, or missing in the war, which has led to the deadliest period for journalists since CPJ began gathering data in 1992. Here is part of their report:

“As of January 17, 2024, CPJ’s preliminary investigations showed at least 83 journalists and media workers were among the more than 25,000 killed since the war began on October 7—with more than 24,000 Palestinian deaths in Gaza and the West Bank and 1,200 deaths in Israel.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told Reuters and Agence France Press news agencies that it could not guarantee the safety of their journalists operating in the Gaza Strip, after they had sought assurances that their journalists would not be targeted by Israeli strikes, Reuters reported on October 27.

Journalists in Gaza face particularly?high?risks as they try to cover the conflict during the Israeli ground assault, including devastating Israeli airstrikes, disrupted communications, supply shortages, and extensive power outages.

As of January 17:

CPJ is also investigating numerous unconfirmed reports of other journalists being killed, missing, detained, hurt, or threatened, and of damage to media offices and journalists’ homes.

“CPJ emphasizes that journalists are civilians doing important work during times of crisis and must not be targeted by warring parties,” said Sherif Mansour, CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa program coordinator. “Journalists across the region are making great sacrifices to cover this heart-breaking conflict. Those in Gaza, in particular, have paid, and continue to pay, an unprecedented toll and face exponential threats. Many have lost colleagues, families, and media facilities, and have fled seeking safety when there is no safe haven or exit.”

World Streets (30)

January 12, 2024
Barcelona, 2005.
Running along Lime Street. Liverpool 2023.
Barcelona, 2005.
Market trader. Laos 2018.
Lodge Lane Liverpool 1982.
Fresh food Market. Laos 2018.
Crossing a river on a ferry in Sylhet. Bangladesh 1990s.
Market trader. Laos 2018.
Chittagong. Bangladesh 2008.
Cigarette kiosk in Dhaka. Bangladesh 1990s.

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From The River To The Sea

January 9, 2024

As calls for a cease fire in Palestine echo around the world Gaza’s Health Ministry warns of a looming catastrophe for displaced Palestinians and a “triangle of death”: hunger, dehydration and disease.

The unprecedented suffering of the Palestinian people is difficult to comprehend in a world where the majority are against the actions of the Israeli apartheid state and their genociadal war against civilians. At one point in the UK some politicians were quoting the chant ‘From the river to the sea Palestine will be free’ as a phrase that was in some way illegal and an incitement to violence. I think of this poster as an incitement to Justice and Peace for the Palestinians.

‘From The River To The Sea’ – poster 2024.

Around The UK

January 8, 2024
On the phone. Wolverhampton 2017.
On the phone. Wolverhampton 2017.
In Buckie. Scotland, August 2017.
In Buckie. Scotland, August 2017.
Busker on Lime Street. Liverpool, February 2020.
Homeless on London Road. Liverpool April 2023.
Taking a break on Dale Street. Liverpool 2019.
Outside Aldgate East tube station. East London 1986.
Hanbury Street, East London 2016.
bike
View from the top of a bus on Bethnal Green Road. East London, July 2016.
The Richmond pub. Liverpool 2019.
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Market Trader

January 7, 2024

The subject of this piece is a market trader I photographed early in the morning on Vallance Road in East London around 12 years ago. The collage beneath his feet represents the urban environment in Whitechapel with a solitary tree as the sole representative of the natural world as he heads towards whitechapel market with his heavy load to extract a living during a long day.

‘Market trader’ – mixed media on paper 2024.

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Around East London (21)

January 6, 2024
Brick Lane c.1985
Two girls on Brick Lane. East London 1985.
Whitechapel High Street. East London 2017.
Bethnal Green Road c.1988
Bethnal Green Road. East London 1988.
On the phone on Commercial Road. East London 2018.
Shopping on Brick Lane. East London, 2008.
Whitechapel Station c.1984
Inside the entrance to Whitechapel Station. East London, 1984.
Outside Liverpool Street Station. East London 2017.
Vallance Road 2014
Vallance Road. East London, 2014.
Homeless man. Shadwell, London 1983
Homeless man. Shadwell, London 1983.
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On Picton Road

January 5, 2024

This piece ‘Woman with a trolley bag on Picton Road’ – is derived from two photographs. One taken at night on Picton Road and the other during the day on London road (both in Liverpool).

‘Woman with a trolley bag on Picton Road’ – Mixed media on paper 2024.

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World Streets (29)

January 4, 2024
Waiting at a bus stop. Bangladesh 1990s.
Bus stop in town. Liverpool March 2018.
On the way to school in Sylhet. Bangladesh 1990s.
River boat, Dhaka Bangladesh, c. 1992
River boat, Dhaka Bangladesh, 1992.
Shopping in the market. Laos 2018.
Cheshire Street c.1985
Selling toilet roles in Cheshire Street. East London 1985.
Shopping in the market. Laos 2018.
Brick Lane Market (Cheshire Street) 1999
Brick Lane Market (Cheshire Street). East London 1999.
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On The Move In Barcelona

December 31, 2023

‘On the move in Barcelona’ combines three images of a woman pushing a trolley outside a building in Barcelona. She’s could be a hotel worker who’s using her brief journey to catch up with family or friends. I was impressed with her ability to have a conversation that probably took her miles away from the her hard regular duties in the work place.

Having worked in the past as a labourer, gardener and super market worker I remember the times when my mind would just drift off – particularly when I was doing boring and repetitive work on my own. This is why I’ve created a dreamscape for the woman to walk through with her double – signifying that she’d most likely made the same journey many times before but each time with a different perception.

‘On the move in Barcelona’ – mixed media on paper.
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World Streets (28)

December 29, 2023
Motorcyclists in Hanoi. Vietnam 2019.
sun glasses
Holding hands in Barcelona. December 2017.
Motorcyclist in Hanoi. Vietnam 2019.
Cyclist passing a restaurant. Paris 2004.
Crossing the road in New York, 2005.
Crossing Picton Road. Liverpool, November 2019.
Motorcyclist in Marrakech, 2005.
Two on a bike in Brick Lane. East London 2005.
Street scene in Marrakech, 2005.
Street scene in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia 2018.
Wearing headphones in Bishopsgate. East London, August 2018.
Street scene in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia 2018.
Having a rest in Cullen. Scotland, 2017.
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Numbers

December 28, 2023

‘Numbers’ (mixed media on paper) attempts to examine the digital world as it is manifested through the mobile phone. I’ve deliberately placed the man (photographed in Liverpool) with his phone on a circle or a 0, a digital symbol. He’s captured by a digital gadget. The question is does his phone bring him closer to the world and his surrounding environment or seperate him from it?

‘Numbers’ – Mixed media on paper, 2023.
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Around Liverpool (47)

December 26, 2023
Bus Stop in Old Swan. Liverpool 2017.
Church Road. Liverpool 2017.
Old Swan. Liverpool 2017.
Central Station. Liverpool 2022.
London Road. Liverpool 2017.
Central Station. Liverpool 2022.
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Nativity 2023

December 25, 2023

Today more than half a million people in Gaza, a quarter of the population, are starving, according to a report on Thursday by the United Nations and other agencies. The finding highlights the humanitarian crisis caused by Israel’s bombardment and siege on the territory in response to Hamas’s October 7 attack. This comes as the Gaza Health Ministry revealed that the Palestinian death toll had now topped 20,000 people. The extent of the population’s hunger eclipsed even the near-famines in Afghanistan and Yemen of recent years, according to figures in the report. The report warned that the risk of famine is “increasing each day,” blaming the hunger on insufficient aid entering Gaza. “It doesn’t get any worse’,” said Arif Husain, chief economist for the UN’s World Food Programme. “I have never seen something at the scale that is happening in Gaza. And at this speed.” Thursday’s report on the staggering scale of hunger in Gaza underscored the failure of the United States, one of the few remaining allies of Israel, to insist on a ceasefire. The world is watching genocide in real time on an unspeakable scale.

‘Nativity 2023’ is a photomontage of a traditional nativity scene where baby Jesus has been replaced by a dead baby wrapped in a bloodied white shroud. The backdrop is a bombed city in Gaza. There are no stars – just a threatening drone reaping destruction. From the river to the sea one day Palestine will be free.

‘Nativity 2023’ – photomontage after Piero Della Francesca.

World Streets (27)

December 23, 2023
Man on Brick Lane. East London 2023.
Haircut by the river in Sylhet. Bangladesh 1990s.
Shop entrance. Kuala Lumpur 2018.
Spitalfields. London 2006.
Street market. Laos 2018.
On the train. Kuala Lumpur 2018.
Underground. Berlin 2023.
On the train. Kuala Lumpur 2018.
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Man With A Pram

December 21, 2023

In the early 1960s I remember using the wheels from old prams and push chairs to make a ‘trolley.’ All you needed was two sets of wheels nailed to a plank of wood. The front wheels were connected to a seperate piece of wood which steered the trolley (in theory) in the direction you wanted to go. There were no breaks and motion was secured by pulling your trolley up a pavement on an incline and letting gravity do it’s work at the top of the incline. Trolleys were a health and safety nightmare but great fun.

I remember thinking of my days on a trolley as I observed old men wandering around the East End with a battered trolley collecting useful scrap that had been discarded.

‘Man with a pram’ (mixed media on paper) is based on a photograph I took of one such man in Toynbee Street in the East End (see below).

‘Man with a pram’ – mixed media on paper, 2023.
Man with a pram, Toynbee street 1988
Man with a pram, Toynbee street. East London, 1988.
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Around East London (20)

December 20, 2023
Whitechapel Road. East London 2016.
Whitechapel Road. East London 2016.
On the underground. East London 2004.
Hanbury Street, East London 2016.
Hanbury Street, East London 2016.
Bethnal Green Road. East London 2008.
The Golden Heart Pub. East London 2016.
Mile End Road. East London 2016.
Whitechapel Road. East London 2016.
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Window portrait

December 18, 2023

This mixed media portrait was based on the photograph (see below) of a woman looking through the window of a fast food outlet on Bishopsgate opposite Liverpool Street Station. After eating her meal she decided to stay for a smoke and keep warm.

‘Woman looking through a window in Bishopsgate’. Mixed media on paper, 2023.
Portrait of a lady at Bishopsgate opposite Liverpool street station
A woman looking out a window. Bishopsgate 1989.

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World Streets (26)

December 12, 2023
Rickshaws in flooded street in Dhaka. Bangladesh 1990s.
Delivery man in New York, 2005.
Distressed poster on bridge. Berlin 2023.
Conversation on Petticoat Lane market. London 1980s.
A bar in Paris, 2004.
Market trader in Hanoi. Vietnam 2018.
Waiting for the next stop. Malaysia 2018.
Barcelona 2005.
Barcelona, 2005.
Market shopping. Laos 2018.
Outside on the steps of Basillica of Saint Andrea della Valle. Rome, 2018.
To book a free studio and gallery visit to see Phil Maxwell’s work click on the link below. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-art-of-resistance-exhibition-and-print-sale-tickets-745932663677?aff=oddtdtcreator

Centenerian Portrait

December 11, 2023

I was delighted to meet this centenerian woman in Sylhet, Bangladesh in 1992. She was the great grandmother of a friend. I photographed her in her garden and was impressed with her energy as she was still looking after the plants she’d nurtured over many years. This image is a photomontage of a painting of her and the original portrait photograph. I wanted to emphasize her stunning eyes.

‘Centenerian in Bangladesh’ – Photomontage.
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Around Liverpool (46)

December 7, 2023
Pub in Lodge Lane. Liverpool 1982.
Cyclist in Sandown Lane. Liverpool, January 2023.
Running along Lime Street. Liverpool, January 2023.
Children playing in Liverpool 8, 1982.
On the 79 bus. Liverpool, January 2023.
Derelict road in Toxteth. Liverpool 1982.
Outside the Willow Bank pub. Liverpool 1982.
On the phone in Wavertree High Street. Liverpool, January 2023.
Wearing headphones on London Road. Liverpool, January 2023.
Waiting for the bus on Picton Road. Liverpool, January 2023.
To book a free studio and gallery visit to see Phil Maxwell’s work click on the link below. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-art-of-resistance-exhibition-and-print-sale-tickets-745932663677?aff=oddtdtcreator

Digital Exclusion

December 6, 2023
‘Digital Exclusion’. Mixed media on paper. 2023.

This illustration was used to illustrate an article on ‘digital exclusion’ for the manifesto of the Merseyside Pensioners Association (MPA). Older people for a variety of reasons are often excluded from the digital world many of us take for granted. The MPA campaigns to ensure that older people are not excluded from mainstream society.

To book a free studio and gallery visit to see Phil Maxwell’s work click on the link below. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-art-of-resistance-exhibition-and-print-sale-tickets-745932663677?aff=oddtdtcreator

World Streets (25)

December 4, 2023
Transporting eggs on a motorcycle in Hanoi. Vietnam 2019.
Back street. Greece 2005.
New York 2005.
London Rd, Liverpool 2023.
Market in Laos 2018.
Lodge Lane. Liverpool 1979.
Berlin 2013.
Berlin 2013.
Children on Smithdown Road. Liverpool 1976.
Early evening in Barcelona. December, 2017.
To book a free studio and gallery visit to see Phil Maxwell’s work click on the link below. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-art-of-resistance-exhibition-and-print-sale-tickets-745932663677?aff=oddtdtcreator

Mystery Woman In The Mystery

November 30, 2023

This work combines two images. One of a woman walking along Brick Lane in London in 1983 and another of the Mystery Park in Liverpool.

The ghostly park with its colourful surreal lighting provides a strangely welcoming environment for the woman photographed in black and white from the past. People will know doubt ask me what my favourite work is in my current exhibition. I normally reply, “I don’t have a favourite”. However if I were forced to choose one it would be the mystery woman in the mystery. I love her, possibly because I’ve been looking at her image for many decades.

‘Mystery woman in the Mystery’ – mixed media on canvas.
‘Mystery woman in the Mystery’ – mixed media on canvas (detail).
‘Mystery woman in the Mystery’ – mixed media on canvas (detail).
‘Mystery woman in the Mystery’ – mixed media on canvas (detail).
To book a free studio and gallery visit to see Phil Maxwell’s work click on the link below. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-art-of-resistance-exhibition-and-print-sale-tickets-745932663677?aff=oddtdtcreator

World Streets (24)

November 29, 2023
Outside the ‘Brick House’. Brick Lane 2008.
Flooded street in Dhaka. Bangladesh 1990s.
Lodge Lane. Liverpool 1982.
Couple arm in arm. Berlin 2004.
Three on a motorcycle in Hanoi. Vietnam 2019.
Transporting tyres in Dhaka. Bangladesh 1990s.
Man pulling a cart. Marrakech 2005.
Walking into the street. Marrakech 2005.
Having a smoke outside a pub on Commercial Street. East London 2006.
Transporting goods on a cart in Chittagong. Bangladesh 2008.
To book a free studio and gallery visit to see Phil Maxwell’s work click on the link below. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-art-of-resistance-exhibition-and-print-sale-tickets-745932663677?aff=oddtdtcreator

Under The Bridge On Brick Lane

November 28, 2023
‘Under the bridge on Brick Lane’ – mixed media on paper (2023).

This image was derived from a photograph I took of a woman as she walked under the railway bridge in Brick Lane. It was published in my book of the same name. To make this image I first printed the photograph on a piece of old paper from a bible printed in 1860. I then worked on the image using acrylic wash and chalk.

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https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-art-of-resistance-exhibition-and-print-sale-tickets-745932663677?aff=oddtdtcreator

Around Liverpool (45)

November 26, 2023
Junction of Wavertree High Street and Picton Road. Liverpool, October 2023.
Wavertree High Street. Liverpool, October 2023.
Junction of Wavertree High Street and Picton Road. Liverpool, October 2023.
Junction of Wavertree High Street and Picton Road. Liverpool, October 2023.
Cyclist passing Wavertree Park. Liverpool, October 2023.
Picton Road. Liverpool, October 2023.
Picton Road. Liverpool, October 2023.
Picton Road. Liverpool, October 2023.
Cyclist on London Road. Liverpool, October 2023.
Smithdown Road. Liverpool, October 2023.
To book a free studio and gallery visit to see Phil Maxwell’s work click on the link below. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-art-of-resistance-exhibition-and-print-sale-tickets-745932663677?aff=oddtdtcreator

Dancing On Brick Lane

November 23, 2023
‘Dancing On Brick Lane’ – mixed media on paper.

Based around a photograph I took of a man on Brick Lane a few years ago this mixed media collage also employs two stills of a dancer I photographed at the Venice dance biennial in 2006. You can see the original in my current exhibition (see below).

To book a free studio and gallery visit to see Phil Maxwell’s work click on the link below. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-art-of-resistance-exhibition-and-print-sale-tickets-745932663677?aff=oddtdtcreator

World Streets (23)

November 23, 2023
Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.
Naples 1989
Two on a motorcycle. Naples 1989.
Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.
Woman with a shopping trolley in Old Montague Street. East London, July 2016.
Woman with a shopping trolley in Old Montague Street. East London, July 2016.
Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.
Motorcyclist near the Pantheon. Rome 2018.
New York, 2005.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 2018.
New York, 2005.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 2018.
To book a free studio and gallery visit to see Phil Maxwell’s work click on the link below. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-art-of-resistance-exhibition-and-print-sale-tickets-745932663677?aff=oddtdtcreator

Place Distance & Time

November 20, 2023
‘Laos and Brick Lane’ – mixed media on paper (2023).

This image makes use of a number of photographs to explore the idea of place, distance and time. The woman on the left is a market trader in Laos (2018). The central figure was photographed in a cafe in Whitechapel in the 1980s and the man with a walking stick was photographed about the same time walking along Brick Lane.

To book a studio and gallery visit to see Phil Maxwell’s work click on the link below. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-art-of-resistance-exhibition-and-print-sale-tickets-745932663677?aff=oddtdtcreator

World Streets (21)

November 17, 2023
Night Market in Melaka. Malaysia 2018.
Night Market in Melaka. Malaysia 2018.
Walking under a bridge in Spitalfields. East London, 2002.
Children in Liverpool 8, 1979.
Food market. Laos 2018.
Food market. Laos 2018.
Motor cyclist. Laos 2018.
Railway line outside Dhaka. Bangladesh, 2008.
Boys drinking tea. Bangladesh, 2008.
Selling pineapples on the street in Bangladesh, 1992.
To book a free studio and gallery visit to see Phil Maxwell’s work click on the link below. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-art-of-resistance-exhibition-and-print-sale-tickets-745932663677?aff=oddtdtcreator

Walking In Berlin

November 16, 2023
‘Walking across the road in Berlin’ – mixed media on paper (2023).

This image was made from four sequential photographs of a man walking across a road in Berlin in February 2023.

To book a studio and gallery visit to see Phil Maxwell’s work click on the link below. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-art-of-resistance-exhibition-and-print-sale-tickets-745932663677?aff=oddtdtcreator

Around Liverpool (44)

November 14, 2023

I’ve always thought that one of the easiest ways to see a city anywhere in the world is from a bus. Here are some photos I took whilst on the 79 bus.

London Road. Liverpool, October 2023.
London Road. Liverpool, October 2023.
London Road. Liverpool, October 2023.
London Road. Liverpool, October 2023.
London Road. Liverpool, October 2023.
Pembroke Place. Liverpool, October 2023.
Pembroke Place. Liverpool, October 2023.
Wavertree Road. Liverpool, October 2023.
To book a studio and gallery visit to see Phil Maxwell’s work click on the link below. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-art-of-resistance-exhibition-and-print-sale-tickets-745932663677?aff=oddtdtcreator

Ceasefire In Gaza Now!

November 13, 2023
‘Starmer on Gaza’ – photomontage.

The conditions at Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza are horrific. There’s no electricity. People are buried and dieing in the grounds. Babies are wrapped in blankets when they need incubators. Despite all the evidence that a catastrophic human tragedy is unfolding, that the apartheid state of Israel is involved in genocide – Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer only echoes the policy of the United States and calls for a ‘humanitarian pause’.

One child dies in Gaza every 10 minutes & 2 are injured. There is no safe place in Gaza. There must be a ceasefire now. Starmer has no moral compass and thinks it’s all about media games and career advancement. Starmer has blood on his hands. If your local MP is not willing to back a ceasefire at this point, they don’t deserve your vote.

To book a studio and gallery visit to see Phil Maxwell’s work click on the link below. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-art-of-resistance-exhibition-and-print-sale-tickets-745932663677?aff=oddtdtcreator

Peaceful Call For A Ceasefire In Gaza

November 8, 2023

At 6:30 last night Lime Street Station in Liverpool was extra busy due to a peaceful sit down protest by hundreds calling for a cease fire in Gaza, freedom for the Palestinian people and an end to Israeli apartheid. A number of different groups came together for the occupation of the station including the Merseyside Pensioners Association, Stop The War, Liverpool Friends Of Palestine, the RMT, NEU and Unite Community.

Since a sit down protest at grand central station in New York on October 28th similar protests have occurred around the world. The New York Police Department said it had arrested at least 200 protesters at the rally, which led to the temporary closure of the station. The anti-war group Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), which organised the demonstration, put the number of arrests at more than 300. JVP said thousands had taken part in what it described as an “emergency sit-in”.

“HUNDREDS OF JEWS AND ALLIES ARE GETTING ARRESTED IN WHAT IS LIKELY THE BIGGEST MASS CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE NYC HAS SEEN IN TWO DECADES,” the group wrote in a post on Instagram.

Similar protests in central London have led to arrests after Transport Secretary Mark Harper gave an order to allow the Met Police to stop demonstrations under section 14a of the Public Order Act. It follows an increased attempt by the government to criminalise pro-Palestinian protests.

No one was arrested in Liverpool.

To book a studio and gallery visit to see Phil Maxwell’s work click on the link below:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-art-of-resistance-exhibition-and-print-sale-tickets-745932663677?aff=oddtdtcreator

Around Liverpool (43)

November 7, 2023
View of the Metropolitan Cathedral from a building site. Liverpool 1976.
Sefton Park in the snow. Liverpool Early 1980s.
Smithdown Road. Liverpool 1976.
Playing cricket in Wavertree. Liverpool 1978.
Cyclist passing St Georges Hall. Liverpool, October 2023.
Outside the Willow Bank pub on Smithdown Road. Liverpool 1981.
Cyclist passing St Georges Hall. Liverpool, October 2023.
Pizza on Picton Road. Liverpool 2023.
Walking past the library on Picton Road. Liverpool 2023.
London Road. Liverpool, October 2023
London Road. Liverpool, October 2023.
London Road. Liverpool, October 2023.
To book a free studio and gallery visit to see Phil Maxwell’s work click on the link below:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-art-of-resistance-exhibition-and-print-sale-tickets-745932663677?aff=oddtdtcreator

Around Liverpool (42)

November 2, 2023
Woman with a shopping trolley on Picton Road. Liverpool 2023.
Waiting for the bus on Picton Road. Liverpool 2023.
Woman walking a dog on Picton Road. Liverpool 2023.
Leaving the Tung auditorium. Liverpool 2023.
On the phone on London Road. Liverpool, October 2023.
London Road. Liverpool, October 2023.
London Road. Liverpool, October 2023.
Liverpool University campus. Liverpool, October 2023.
Wavertree Road. Liverpool, October 2023.
London Road. Liverpool, October 2023.
To book a studio and gallery visit to see Phil Maxwell’s work send a message (with your telephone number) to maxwellphotouk@yahoo.co.uk. Mark your message ‘Studio visit’.

World Streets (22)

November 1, 2023
Moving tyres on foot. Bangladesh 1990s.
Man on a bike in Melaka. Malaysia 2018.
New York 2005.
Walking along a railway track outside Dhaka. Bangladesh 2008.
Shopping in Whitechapel. East London 2006.
Market in Marrakech 2005.
New York 2005.
Friends in Toxteth. Liverpool 1981.
Outside the Willow Bank pub on Smithdown Lane. Liverpool 1981.
Children sifting through rubbish on a landfill site in Dhaka. Bangladesh 2008.
Food market in Laos 2018.
To book a studio and gallery visit to see Phil Maxwell’s work send a message (with your tephone number) to maxwellphotouk@yahoo.co.uk

Around Liverpool (41)

November 1, 2023
Smithdown Road. Liverpool April 2023.
Walking along a road where all the houses have been demolished. Liverpool 8, 1982.
Smithdown Road. Liverpool April 2023.
Smithdown Road. Liverpool April 2023.
Lodge Lane. Liverpool 1981.
Smithdown Road. Liverpool April 2023.
Picton Road bus stop. Liverpool April 2023.
Child outside a shop entrance on Lodge Lane. Liverpool 1981.
To book a studio and gallery visit to see Phil Maxwell’s work and archive send a message (with your tephone number) to maxwellphotouk@yahoo.co.uk

Freedom For Palestine

October 31, 2023

‘In March this year, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in the occupied territories determined that the “political system of entrenched rule” in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip “satisfies the prevailing evidentiary standard for the existence of apartheid”. In November, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing reached the same conclusion in relation to Israel’s policies of home demolitions. Some states, including South Africa, condemned Israeli apartheid, echoing statements by Palestinian, Israeli and international human rights organizations. Despite this growing recognition, Israel continued to enjoy impunity thanks to the support of its key allies.

In October, the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in Israel, concluded that the occupation of the OPT is unlawful due to its permanence and Israel’s measures to annex Palestinian land in law and in practice. In 2022, such measures included retroactive authorization of settlement outposts, including by the Israeli Supreme Court (Amnesty International).’

This is the background to the current war. America the UK and other countries supply the arms to Israel that are now being used by Israel, in breach of international law to kill thousands of civilians in Gaza.

Since the start of the war of terror on Gaza, people have demonstrated and marched in support of the Palestinians around the world. These photographs were taken in Liverpool on Sunday October 29th 2023.

When questioned about the demonstrations, after an emergency COBRA meeting chaired by Rishi Sunak, Home secretary Ms Braverman said: “To my mind there is only one way to describe those marches: they are hate marches.” As these photographs show, Braverman is a Liar.

Around The East End (37)

October 9, 2023
Man climbing stairs over a bridge off Cheshire Street. East London 1986.
Hanbury Street. East London 2017.
On the phone in Brick Lane. East London 2017.
Two boys in Hanbury Street. East London 1984.
On the phone in Fournier Street. East London 2017.
Conversation between market traders on Petticoat Lane. East London 1988.
On the phone in Commercial Street. East London 2017.
On the phone in Spitalfields Market. East London 2017.
Reading on Brick Lane. East London 1986.
On the phone in Spitalfields Market. East London 2017.

Around The East End (36)

October 4, 2023
Whitechapel High Street. East London 2017.
Taking a rest in Sclater Street market. East London 1983.
Shop worker and tourists on Brick Lane. East London 2017.
Boy carrying a box on the chassis of an old pram, Whitechapel Rd 1988
Boy carrying a box on the chassis of an old pram, Whitechapel Rd. East London 1985.
Hanbury Street. East London 2017.
View from Pauline House in Whitechapel looking West. East London 2017.
Looking west from Whitechapel 1980s.
Looking west towards the City from Whitechapel. East London 1983.
Conversation on Whitechapel High Street. East London 2017.
Tourists on Brick Lane. East London 2017.
Tourists on Brick Lane. East London 2017.

Watney Market East London (6)

September 28, 2023
Shop front in Watney Market. East London September 2023.
Conversation in Watney Market. East London September 2023.
Watney Market. East London September 2023.
Watney Market. East London September 2023.
Watney Market. East London September 2023.
Watney Market. East London September 2023.
Watney Market 2008
Watney Market. East London 2008.
Market trader in Watney Market. East London September 2023.
Watney Market. East London September 2023.
Man with a woolen hat. Watney market 2017.
Man with a woolen hat. Watney market 2017.

Watney Market East London (5)

September 27, 2023
Watney Market. East London September 2023.
Watney Market c. 1984
Watney Market. East London, 1984.
Watney Market. East London September 2023.
Having a rest. Watney Market. East London 2017.
Taking a break. Watney Market. East London 2017.
Shop front in Watney Market. East London September 2023.
Watney Market. East London September 2023.
Watney market. East London 2005.
Watney Market. East London September 2023.

World Streets (20)

September 17, 2023
Homeless man, New York 2005.
Hooded figure, Marrakech 2005.
Walking on a cobbled street. Rome, 2018.
Conversation in Melaka. Malaysia 2018.
Cyclist in Melaka. Malaysia 2018.
Donkey cart. Marrakech 2005.
On the phone. Marrakech 2005.
Outside a shop. New York 2005.
Woman carrying a baby. Marrakech 2005.
Street scene. Marrakech 2005.

Around The East End (35)

September 15, 2023
Shopping at the Sunday market, Brick Lane. East London 1984.
Beigal shop, Brick Lane 1996
Beigal shop, Brick Lane 1996
Betting Shop on Brick Lane. East London 1983.
Whitechapel Road Betting Office c.1984
Whitechapel Road Betting Office. East London, 1984.
Anti-racist-demo on Bethnal Green Road. East London 1992.
TUC Anti-Racist demonstration, East London 1994
TUC Anti-Racist demonstration. East London 1994.
Moving a tyre at the Sunday market, off Brick Lane. East London 1984.
Outside the pie and mash shop on Bethnal Green Road. East London 1985.
Whitechapel Road. East London 1982.
Rolling a smoke on Bethnal Green Road. East London 1985.
Brick Lane. East London, 1987.

Man on Brick Lane

September 9, 2023
‘Man on Brick Lane’. Mixed media on paper.

This image started it’s life as a photograph in my book ‘Brick Lane’. The man pulling his trolley bag was photographed around 1984. He’s most likely dead now but my brief encounter with him courtesy of my camera means I remember him in my mind very clearly. I often have a strange empathy with my street subjects. Although I’ve usually not spoken to any of them I often speculate about their lives and ask myself what are they doing now?

The image is actually derived from two photographs the second was taken at night of the river in Melaka, Malaysia. Colourful lights reflected in the water were regularly disrupted by passing boats creating a magnificent and serene dance of colours that probably mimicked the movement of the unseen fish beneath the water. So, my man with his walking stick is now walking on water.

Over forty years ago I had good mobility and could even run fast! I feel as if I’ve grown closer to the deceased subject as today I can certainly identify with the mobility problems he had! I’m pleased I’ve updated my memory of the ‘Man On Brick Lane’.

Underground Rickshaw

September 4, 2023
‘Underground Rickshaw’, mixed media on canvas (80cmx80cm).
‘Underground Rickshaw’, mixed media on canvas, detail.
‘Underground Rickshaw’, mixed media on canvas, detail.
‘Underground Rickshaw’, mixed media on canvas, detail.
‘Underground Rickshaw’, mixed media on canvas, detail.

Bicycle rickshaws are the most popular modes of transport in Bangladesh and are available for hire throughout the country including the capital city Dhaka, known as the “Rickshaw Capital of the World“. Rickshaws are the most popular means of transportation in Bangladesh. In the capital Dhaka there are over 600,000 competing for passengers. The rickshaws carry passengers but they are often adapted to transport all sorts of goods. Because of inflation and unemployment in the rural areas, people from villages move to the cities to become rickshaw drivers, locally called the riksha-wala.

On my first visit to Bangladesh I became fascinated by Rickshaws. I viewed them as mobile works of art as they (when traffic jams were absent) flew through the streets thanks to the strenuous efforts and skill of the riksha-wala. Used to travelling in London on the Underground I relished a ride on a Rickshaw in Bangladesh. There can be no better way to see Bangladesh than from the passenger seat of a rickshaw. This piece imagines two modes of transport combined: the underground and the Rickshaw.

Rickshaws are covered with paintings of rural scenes, animals, film stars, the rich and the famous, great monuments and religious symbols. Scores of people are employed to paint and decorate this popular form of human powered transport. In recent years computer generated images have joined hand painted patterns. The main aim of rickshaw art is to attract the attention of potential passengers.

Comparing travelling underground in a sealed tube full of commuters is like prison compared to the Rickshaw. Nevertheless I’ve been photographing the underground for decades as it provides a brilliant opportunity for human observation. Sadly pollution in Dhaka compares to the pollution on the underground.

There is a battle between rickshaws and cars in Dhaka. Rickshaws are blamed for traffic congestion. However, rickshaws are safe, environmentally friendly and do not rely on fossil fuels. Many people rely on rickshaws. The industry employs people from 38 different professions.

Perhaps the two women in the rickshaw are travelling with a driver searching for a place untroubled by pollution, global warming and the stress of ‘modern’ living.

Ban The Barge!

August 19, 2023
‘Ban The Barge’, Photomontage 2023.

The Government sees asylum seekers as a useful tool to divert attention attention from the cost of living crisis and the corruption they are steeped in. They’ve always shown contempt for human rights when it comes to refugees.

People risk their lives in small boats crossing the channel because they are denied a safe and legal route to apply for asylum in the UK.

In the 1980s the Liberal Democrat Council in Tower Hamlets attempted to house homeless Bangladeshi families on a disused boat on the river Thames. The idea scheme was put forward by a Lib Dem councillor who was also a Lloyds underwriter. Following a public outcry and campaign the idea was quietly dropped. I never thought that decades later the idea of putting vulnerable people on a barge would be embraced by the govenment of the day.

After being condemned as a fire risk the first Refugees were put on the vessel in Portland Port despite the fact that test results for Legionella in the water were positive.

Following a Home Office “incident management meeting” on 17th August officials concluded that no one else would be moved onto the Bibby Stockholm while a risk assessment was carried out, and it was then decided to move all 39 asylum seekers off the barge. The government has refused to answer questions about why all this was allowed to happen.

The cruelty and inhumanity of the government seems to have no limits. The ‘Stop the boats’ policy diguises an unwillingness to meet the bare minimum of the govenments responsibilities under international law towards refugees.

The government hopes eventually to ‘house’ 500 men on the barge. We all need to raise our voices to “BAN THE BARGE”.

World Streets (19)

August 11, 2023
Tea Plantation in Sylhet. Bangladesh 1992.
On the phone in Laos, 2018.
Skateborder in Barcelona, 2005.
Street conversation. Rome 2018.
Cyclist outside a hairdressers in Dhaka. Bangladesh 1992.
Crossing the road in New York, 2005.
Naples c.1989
Snoozing after lunch. Naples 1989.
Sunday Brick Lane market. East London 1989.
Motorcyclist in Laos, 2018.

Mixed Media Collage

August 7, 2023

Forty five years ago I aquired a copy stand which I’ve only started to appreciate in recent years. It’s great for photographing art work or items that can be incorporated into work later. This mixed media collage began life as a discarded and dismembered cigarette packet which I photographed on the stand.

The photograph of the cigarette packet was the framework for the development of the piece. On top of the packet you can find luminous advertising boards from an East London subway, candlelight seen through a disused blue gin bottle and blurred street lighting from down town Marrakech. Your eyes may notice more!

Untitled mixed media collage (42 x 29cm).
Untitled mixed media collage (detail).
Untitled mixed media collage (detail).
Untitled mixed media collage (detail).

Around Liverpool (39)

August 3, 2023
Smithdown Road. Liverpool April 2023.
Smithdown Road. Liverpool, 1978.
Cyclist on Lodge Lane. Liverpool April 2023
Lodge Lane. Liverpool April 2023.
Lodge Lane Liverpool c.1979
Lodge Lane pub. Liverpool 1979.
Smithdown Road. Liverpool April 2023.
Waiting for the Pope to drive down Smithdown Road. Liverpool 1982.
Smithdown Road. Liverpool April 2023.
In a pub on Smithdown Road. Liverpool April 2022.

World Streets (18)

August 2, 2023
Reading a book at Whitechapel Station. East London 2003.
Reading a newspaper. Melaka 2018.
Waiting for a bus. East London 2003.
Marrakech 2005.
On the move. New York 2005.
On the move. Marrakech 2005.
Rickshaw driver in a traffic jam. Bangladesh 2008.
Driving a tricycle in Marrakech 2005.
On the move. New York 2005.
Trader at a night market. Melaka 2018.
Selling eggs at a market. Laos 2018.

World Streets (17)

August 1, 2023
Three on a motorcycle. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.
Walking past a 'diner'. Blackpool 2017.
Walking past a ‘diner’. Blackpool 2017.
A crowd at Paris Pride, 2004.
Shopping in Lawrence Road. Liverpool, December 2019.
Marrakech 2005
Cyclist. Marrakech 2005.
Playing the piano in Spitalfields Market. East London, August 2018.
Delivery man in New York, 2005.

Around Liverpool (40)

July 3, 2023
Concert in Holy Trinity Church, Wavertree. Liverpool June 2023.
Walking the dog, Wellington Road. Liverpool June 2023.
On the phone on Picton Road. Liverpool June 2023.
On the 79 bus. Liverpool June 2023.
Scooter on Picton Road. On the 79 bus. Liverpool June 2023.
Picton Road. Liverpool June 2023.
On the 79 bus. Liverpool June 2023.
On the phone in Ranelagh Street. Liverpool June 2023.
Renshaw Street. Liverpool 1979.
Renshaw Street. Liverpool 1979.
Parking a bike in Ranelagh Street. Liverpool June 2023.
Take away in Ranelagh Place. Liverpool June 2023.

Around Liverpool (39)

June 26, 2023
Supermarket, Smithdown Road. Liverpool April 2023.
Cleaning a shop window on Wavertree High Street. Liverpool January 2018.
Cleaning a shop window on Wavertree High Street. Liverpool January 2018.
Wavertree High Street. Liverpool April 2023.
On the phone in Lawrence Road. Liverpool, December 2017.
Supermarket, Smithdown Road. Liverpool April 2023.
Shopping. Liverpool, September 2017.
Supermarket in Walton. November, Liverpool 2017.
Supermarket in Walton. November, Liverpool 2017.
Supermarket, Smithdown Road. Liverpool April 2023.
Smithdown Road. Liverpool April 2023.
Supermarket, Smithdown Road. Liverpool April 2023.

World Streets (16)

June 21, 2023
Man wearing a cap. Athens 2002.
Wearing headphones on the underground. Berlin 2019.
Escalator at underground station. Athens 2002.
Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009
Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009.
Selling carpets. Athens 2002.
Wearing headphones on Brick Lane. East London, August 2018.
Shop window. Athens 2002.
Vallance Road 2014
Vallance Road, East London 2014.
Street scene. Athens 2002.
Shopkeeper. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

World Streets (15)

June 20, 2023
Shadows in Marrakech, 2005.
Skateboarder. Barcelona, December 2017.
Cyclist in Melaka. Malaysia 2018.
shorts
Cyclist on Wavertree road. Liverpool, July 2018.
Delivery man in New York, 2005.
Postman on Wellington Road. Liverpool, December 2018.
On the bus in Bangkok. Thailand 2008.
Mile End Underground station. East London 2003.
New York, 2005.
On the phone in the park. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.
Baby taxi driver in Bangkok. Thailand 2008.

World Streets (14)

June 19, 2023
At the dinner table in the market. Laos 2018.
Checking the menu in Spitalfields market. East London 2018.
Selling vegetables. Laos 2018.
Brick Lane c.1989
Brick Lane market. East London 1989.
Shopping at the market. Laos 2018.
Shopping at the market. Laos 2018.
Market stall. Paris 2004.
A busy street. Laos 2018.
Walking along a street. Laos 2018.
Market trader. Laos 2018.
Walking along a street. Laos 2018.

Around Liverpool (38)

June 15, 2023
Homeless on London Road. Liverpool April2023.
Homeless on London Road. Liverpool April 2023.
Homeless on London Road. Liverpool April 2023.
Looking into a cafe on London Road. Liverpool April 2023.
Selling newspapers on London Road. Liverpool April 2023.
View from the 79 bus on Picton Road. Liverpool April 2023.
The Edinburugh pub, Wavertree. Liverpool April 2023.
The Edinburugh pub, Wavertree. Liverpool April 2023.
London Road. Liverpool April 2023.
London Road. Liverpool April 2023.
Picton Road. Liverpool April 2023.
Getting on the 79 bus. Liverpool April 2023.

World Streets (13)

June 13, 2023
Motor cyclist on the phone in Laos, 2018.
Cyclist in Antalya Bay, Turkey 2010.
Motor cyclists in Laos, 2018.
Market trader in Laos, 2018.
Passing a wine shop Rome, 2018.
Motor cyclist in Laos, 2018.
Brick Lane. East London 2010.
Night market in Laos, 2018.
stall holder
Toy stall at the night market in Melaka. Malaysia February 2018.
Motor cyclist in Laos, 2018.

Mother & Child In Laos

June 10, 2023

When I first started work as a photo journalist magazine editors would routinely annoy me by cropping my images before publication. All those decades ago I would never have dreamt that I would eventually end up tearing up and collaging different photographs together as well as scribbling and painting on them! The work below developed from four photographs I took of a woman and child in a market in Laos. The powerful subject was caring for her baby as well as selling food on a stall.

I began by printing an image on card and then rapidly over painting it with white acrylic paint. The image was then rephotographed and colour was added digitally. The finished images were then collaged together and the collage was printed on canvas. Finally I over painted different parts of the canvas.

This work involved a lot of experimentation and trial and error; I was never really sure of the direction the work was taking. It was a rewarding organic process that breathed extra life and possibilities into the original photographs.

‘Mother And Child In Laos’. Mixed media on canvas 80cm x 80cm. 2023.
Preparation work: two images of the mother painted over.
Preparation work: image of the mother painted over (detail).
Preparation work: image of the mother painted over (detail).
Preparation work: Collaged images (detail).
Preparation work: Collaged images (detail).
Preparation work: Collaged images (detail).
Preparation work: Collaged images (detail).

World Streets (12)

June 2, 2023
Checking the phone in the shade. Kuala Lumpur, 2018.
On the phone in the street. Rome, 2018.
Coconut Juice for sale. Kuala Lumpur, 2018.
On the phone on the Roman Road. East London 2019.
Kuala Lumpur, 2018.
Bangladesh 1995
A village outside Dhaka. Bangladesh 1995.
Night time in Kuala Lumpur, 2018.
Posing for the camera. Liverpool 1979.
Shopkeeper. Kuala Lumpur, 2018.
Brick Lane c.1984
Bananas for sale on Brick Lane. East London 1984

We Dare To Defend Our Rights

June 1, 2023

Riots are often sparked off by some deep seated social injustice. The Toxteth riots of 1981 emerged during a recession with high unemployment and deep rooted tensions between the local population and the police.

The Merseyside police force at the time had a particularly bad reputation in the area for stopping and searching black youths under the hated ‘sus’ laws. Chief constable Ken Oxford led a police force that regularly arrested and harassed black youth in Toxteth. His astonishing rants at the time speak volumes about the racism that permeated the police force then: “Policemen in general and detectives in particular, are not racialist, despite what many Black groups believe. … Yet they are the first to define the problem of half-castes in Liverpool. Many are the products of liaisons between black seamen and white prostitutes in Liverpool 8, the red-light district. Naturally, they do not grow up with any kind of recognizable home life. Worse still, after they have done the round of homes and institutions, they gradually realize they are nothing.”

The main image in the work below was built around a photograph I took of a demonstration calling for the resignation of the then Chief Constable Ken Oxford. Standing beneath the banner of the ‘Liverpool 8 Defence Committee’ the boy with the placard ‘We dare to defend our rights’ stared dirtectly into the camera. The police behind him were taken from a number of images from a demonstration I covered in 1985 organised by the Newham 7 campaign in East London.

‘We Dare To Defend Our Rights’. Mixed media on canvas 2023.
Liverpool 8 defence committee following the Toxteth riots, 1982
Liverpool 8 defence committee demonstration following the Toxteth riots. Liverpool 1982.
Children play on swings in Plashet park, Newham 1985
Children play on swings in Plashet park (watched by riot police), Newham 1985.

Shortly after the above was photo was taken the police, carrying riot shields, swept the park and expelled everyone. I used one of the images taken shortly after this one for the police behind the boy.

This work will feature in ‘The Art Of Resistance’ summer show (details to follow).

World Streets (11)

May 23, 2023
Resting on a railway line next to a river outside Dhaka. Bangladesh 2009.
Crossing the railway track. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.
Skateboarding in Barcelona 2005.
Near Time Square. New York 2005.
Corner shop in Melaka. Malaysia 2018.
Selling second hand clothes in Cheshire Street. East London 1983.
Band playing on Brick Lane. East London 2023.
Market in Marrakech 2005.

World Streets (10)

May 22, 2023
Fridge shop on a street in Dhaka. Bangladesh 1990s.
Man moving stuff in an old pram. Vallance Road, East London 1980s.
The front of a shop in Marrakech, 2005.
Boy moving goods on Brick Lane. East London, 1983.
Night market in Melaka. Malaysia 2018.
Woman with a shopping trolley. Barcelona 2005.
Rickshaw driver in Dhaka. Bangladesh 1990s.
Cyclist passing a restaurant. Paris 2004.

Walking under the bridge in Brick Lane

May 21, 2023

I photographed the woman featured in the work below twice as she wandered slowly under the bridge in Brick Lane in 1983. I’ve returned to the two photographs a number of times to make a number of mixed media works. She strikes me as a woman who has experienced a great deal in her life and has many tales to to tell.

‘Walking under the bridge in Brick Lane’ (2023). Mixed media on acid free paper (21x29cm).

Not My King

May 9, 2023

I was born in 1953 the year of the coronation of the late Queen Elizabeth. As a child I was taught history that was awash with kings, queens and rich people. It was an entirely skewed and perverse form of history given the fact the majority of people who’ve inhabited the planet were none of the above. I was also brought up with the idea that ‘Brittania’ ruled or owned most of the world. We were brainwashed to believe the British ruled everywhere, invented most things and were generally superior to everyone else. It didn’t take long for me to realise that this was all bullshit.

In 1910 Irish freedom fighter and republican James Connolly in response to a visit of of King George V described the British monarchy in the following terms:

“All political and social positions should be open to all men and women. What is monarchy? From whence does it derive its sanction? What has been its gift to humanity? Monarchy is a survival of the tyranny imposed by the hand of greed and treachery upon the human race in the darkest and most ignorant days of our history. It derives its only sanction from the sword of the marauder, and the helplessness of the producer, and its gifts to humanity are unknown, save as they can be measured in the pernicious examples of triumphant and shameless iniquities.

Every class in society save royalty, and especially British royalty, has through some of its members contributed something to the elevation of the race. But neither in science, nor in art, nor in literature, nor in exploration, nor in mechanical invention, nor in humanising of laws, nor in any sphere of human activity has a representative of British royalty helped forward the moral, intellectual or material improvement of mankind. But that royal family has opposed every forward move, fought every reform, persecuted every patriot, and intrigued against every good cause. Slandering every friend of the people, it has befriended every oppressor. Eulogised today by misguided clerics, it has been notorious in history for the revolting nature of its crimes. Murder, treachery, adultery, incest, theft, perjury – every crime known to man has been committed by some one or other of the race of monarchs from whom King George is proud to trace his descent.”

The idea of an unelected head of state is ludicrous and the toxic sycophancy of the mainstream media around the coronation of King Charles demonstrates that democracy is not alive and well in the UK in 2023. The arrest of over 60 demonstrators illustrates the governments intention to suppress the right to protest with new powers to clamp down on peaceful demonstrations.

The coronation was a convenient diversion for the Tory government at a time when millions in the UK are suffering from poverty caused by a failing economic system that puts the pursuit of profit before the needs of society.

The site of an unelected head of state trundling through the streets of London in a gold coach with his unelected queen when homeless people are dying on the streets is surely a metaphor for the state of the UK today.

The photomontage below is my contribution to ‘The Big Help Out’. Vive la republique!

‘Not My King’ – Photomontage 2023.

World Streets (9)

May 2, 2023
Cyclist in Melaka, Malaysia 2018.
Cyclist in a hood on Brownlow Hill. Liverpool, 20th November 2019.
Conversation in Melaka, Malaysia 2018.
Two men talking on the underground. London 1997
Conversation on the district line. East London, 1997.
Night market in Melaka, Malaysia 2018.
Young man with his dog and phone. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.
Night market in Melaka, Malaysia 2018.
Night market in Melaka, Malaysia 2018
Night market in Melaka, Malaysia 2018.
On the phone at the night market in Melaka, Malaysia 2018.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

World Streets (8)

April 27, 2023
Street corner. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.
Five on a motorcycle in Luang Prabang. Laos, February 2018.
On the move, East London 1983.
Marrakech 2005
Moyotcyclist. Marrakech 2005.
Berlin 2014
On a bike in Berlin, 2014.
Crowded scooter. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.
Scooter and bus in India 1990.
Moving building materials in Hanoi. Vietnam 2019.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

World Streets (7)

April 26, 2023
Flooded street, Dhaka. Bangladesh 1992.
Conversation outside a florist on Bethnal Green Road. East London 2019.
Farm boy, Sylhet. Bangladesh 1992.
New York 2005
New York, 2005.
Market in Chittagong. Bangladesh 2009.
Scooter in Barcelona. December, 2017.
Rickshaw in Dhaka. Bangladesh 1992.
View from a cafe in Jemaa El Fna square. Marrakech, 2005
View from a cafe in Jemaa El Fna square. Marrakech, 2005

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

World Streets (6)

April 22, 2023
Boy rickshaw driver, Bangladesh 1992.
Cyclist. Barcelona 2017.
Hawkers crossing a river on a ferry. Bangladesh 1992.
Barcelona 2005.
Barcelona, 2005.
Selling Pineapples in Dhaka. Bangladesh 1992.
Man selling vegetables, Brick Lane c. 1984
Man selling vegetables on Brick Lane. East London 1984.
Shop in the old town of Marrakech, 2004.
On the phone in the street. Rome, 2018.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

World Streets (5)

April 18, 2023
Cyclist passing a shop window. Barcelona, December 2017.
Early morning cyclist. Melaka, February 2018.
Dhaka Bangladesh 1992
Dhaka Bangladesh, 1992.
woolen hat
Man on a bike in town. Liverpool, April 2018.
rain
On a bike in Whitechapel. Liverpool, september 2018.
Woman selling vegetables and fruit from her bike. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.
Bike in Paris, 2010
Bike in Paris, 2010.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

World Streets (4)

April 17, 2023
A salesman at the Jonker Street night market. Melaka, February 2018.
A salesman at the Jonker Street night market selling lint brushes. Melaka, February 2018.
Whitechapel Market 2014
Market trader. Whitechapel Market 2014.
India c. 1992
Pulling a heavy load in Chennai. India 2007.
New York 2005
Collecting rubbish for recycling. New York 2005
Man with phone. Wolverhampton, April 2017.
Man with a phone. Wolverhampton, April 2017.
Marrakech 2005
Market in Marrakech 2005.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Cheshire Street London

March 23, 2023
Selling tools. Warehouse in Cheshire Street. East London 2017.
Selling tools. Warehouse in Cheshire Street. East London 2017.
Cheshire Street c.1987
Taking a break in Cheshire Street. East London 1987.
Cheshire Street c.1985
Selling toilet roles in Cheshire Street. East London 1985.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Sky, Trees & Leaves

March 22, 2023
Tree pointing to the sky in Wavertree Park. Liverpool, December 2017.
Tree pointing to the sky in Wavertree Park. Liverpool, December 2017.
Fallen leaves in Wavertree. Liverpool, December 2019.
Long grass and sunset on Oglet Shore. Liverpool June 2018.
trees
Red sky in Wavertree. Liverpool, April 2018.
Leaves & grass. Wavertree park, Liverpool 2017.
Leaves & grass. Wavertree park, Liverpool 2017.
Tree & blue sky in Wavertree. Liverpool, May 2018.
Ice and fallen leaves in Wavertree. Liverpool, December 2019.
Raindrops on a plant in Wavertree. Liverpool, May 2019.
clouds
Sky over Wavertree. Liverpool, june 2018.
Trees in Wavertree park. Liverpool, December 24th 2018.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Around The East End (35)

March 21, 2023
Conversation outside Whitechapel station. East London 2003.
Conversation outside Whitechapel station. East London 2003.
Sunday market at Bishopsgate Goodsyard. East London, 2003.
Man with headphones walking past Bishopsgate Goods Yard. East London, January 2019.
Mile End Underground c. 2003
Mile End Underground. East London, 2003.
Getting on and off. London Underground 2018.
Having a smoke on Brick Lane. East London, 2003.
Brick Lane. East London, 1983.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Hanoi Vietnam (8)

March 13, 2023

Shop front. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

Housing. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

Two men on a ‘Grab’ scooter. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

View from a rooftop. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

Scooter. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

Delivery of boxes outside a shop. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

Street scene. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

Railway and motorcycle bridge. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

Motorcyclist on the phone. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

View from a rooftop. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

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The Mekong River In Laos

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Hanoi Vietnam (7)

March 12, 2023

Preparing a meal on the street. Hanoi 2019.

Motorcyclist with a child. Hanoi 2019.

Motorcyclist and passenger. Hanoi 2019.

Street view with electric cables. Hanoi 2019.

Street view with a pedestrian. Hanoi 2019.

Street scene from above. Hanoi 2019.

Moving goods to the market. Hanoi 2019.

Checking the time. Hanoi 2019.

Moving goods to the market. Hanoi 2019.

Moving goods to the market. Hanoi 2019.

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Hanoi Vietnam (6)

Barcelona (2)

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Faces at the Melaka Night Market

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Hanoi Vietnam (6)

March 11, 2023

Deep in thought. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

Market Place. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

Sitting backwards on a motor scooter. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

Cyclist. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

On the phone outside a cafe. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

Having a smoke on the street. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

Kebab seller. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

Pedestrian and motorcyclist. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

Street conversation. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

Two shopkeepers. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

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You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Hanoi Vietnam (5)

March 10, 2023

Street scene in Hanoi. Vietnam 2019.

Conversation in Hanoi. Vietnam 2019.

Street scene in Hanoi. Vietnam 2019.

On the phone and selling fish in Hanoi. Vietnam 2019.

Motorcyclists in Hanoi. Vietnam 2019.

Street scene in Hanoi. Vietnam 2019.

Selling vegetables in Hanoi. Vietnam 2019.

Walking near a night market. Vietnam 2019.

On the road in Hanoi. Vietnam 2019.

Conversation over lunch in Hanoi. Vietnam 2019.

Street Hawker next to fashion advertisement in Hanoi. Vietnam 2019.

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Around Melaka In Malaysia

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On The Road In Vietnam

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Hanoi Vietnam (4)

March 9, 2023

Motorcyclist on the phone. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

Hawker with a bike. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

Three on a motorcycle. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

Motorcyclist with large packages. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

Three on a motorcycle wearing face masks. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

Outside a massage spa. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

Woman crossing the road with some food. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

Shop front with flat above. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

Roadside cafe. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

Crossing the road with a package. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

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On A Bike In Liverpool

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Bikes Around The World

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

International Women’s Day 2023

March 8, 2023

Today is International Women’s day. These photographs celebrate women the world over. I hope they challenge the idea that progress is largely brought about by men. We still have a long way to go before injustice based purely on a persons sex is eradicated. “Women’s freedom is the sign of social freedom.” – Rosa Luxemburg.

Campaigner supporting refugees, February 2023.
Bangladesh c.1994
Grinding herbs. Bangladesh, 1994.
NHS Not Trident. Manchester, October 2017.
NHS Not Trident. Manchester, October 2017.
Sewing. Chaing Mai, Thailand 2017.
Chaing Mai, Thailand 2017.
‘Women Unite Against Racism’, mixed media. From a photograph taken in East London 1994.
NHS demonstration. March 2017.
Save our NHS demonstration. London 2017.
Tea workers. Photomontage 2012
Tea workers. Photomontage 2012
Save Charing Cross. NHS demonstration. March 2017.
Save Charing Cross. NHS demonstration. March 2017.
Teacher striking for fair pay and improved conditions for children and all workers in schools. Liverpool, February 2023.
Tea worker. Bangladesh 1996
Tea worker. Bangladesh 1996.
Protester. Manchester, October 2017.
Protester. Manchester, October 2017.
‘We Can’t Pay Our Bills’, Mixed media collage used in the campaign against the cost of living crisis. 2022.
Market in Dhaka, Bangladesh c1992
Market in Dhaka, Bangladesh, 1992.
‘Porto’, Mixed Media photomonage. Portugal 2022.
Anti BNP demo outside John Scurr school c. 1984
Anti BNP demo outside John Scurr school, East London 1984.
Mixed media collage with two images (1982) of a woman on Brick Lane. 2002.
Floating village, Tonle Sap, Siem Reap Cambodia 2009
Floating village, Tonle Sap, Siem Reap. Cambodia, 2009.
Demonstration against NHS privatisation. Liverpool 2022.
Speaking up on behalf of women’s rights. Liverpool, March 2019.
‘Gentrification’. Mixed media collage combining a 1980s photograph of a woman just off Brick Lane with the City encroaching on the East End of London. 2022.
Deep in thought. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.
Betty Beehive
Save Liverpool Women’s Hospital. Liverpool, May 2018.
Mixed media collage used in the campaign against the Arms Fair sponsored by Liverpool City Council in 2021.
Street seller in Hanoi. Vietnam 2019.
NHS
Campaigner Lesley Mahmood talks to the Merseyside Pensioners Association about the campaign to save the Liverpool Women’s Hospital. Liverpool, January 2018.
Pensioners campaigning to save Liverpool Women's Hospital
Pensioners campaigning to save Liverpool Women’s Hospital
Photomontage combining a Leonardo Davinci painting with a contemporary image. 2022.
East village. New York 2005.
East village. New York 2005.
East London women in support of the miners, Kent c. 1984
East London women in support of the miners, Kent 1984.
Photomontage campaigning about fuel poverty. 2022.
Climate crisis demo, 2022.
Inspirational banner for International Women’s Day. Liverpool, March 2019.
My mother, Mary, smiling on the underground. London 2004.
My mother, Mary, smiling on the underground. London 2004.
Protester in Clayton Square, Liverpool 2017.
Protester in Clayton Square, Liverpool 2017.
Women in support of the miners, London c. 1984
Women in support of the miners, London 1984.
Protest, Whitechapel 2008
Protest against education cuts in Whitechapel. East London 2008.
Women protesters against racist murderers
Women protesters against racist murderers. Newham, East London 1980s.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

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Hanoi Vietnam (3)

March 8, 2023

Woman recycling cardboard with her bike. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

Relaxing on a street corner. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

Woman in blue. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

Disposing of water on the street. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

Man and child on a motorcycle. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

Woman selling vegetables and fruit from her bike. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

On the phone. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

On the phone in the park. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

Electric and utility cables. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

On the phone. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

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You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Hanoi Vietnam (2)

March 7, 2023

Young man with his dog and phone. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

On the road. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

Flower shop. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

On the road. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

Writing on the wall. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

Shopkeeper. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

Waste collector. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

Market stall. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

On the phone at the night market. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

Outside a shop. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

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Barcelona (2)

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Chairs In Barcelona, London, Naples & Paris

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You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Hanoi Vietnam

March 6, 2023

Woman & child on a scooter. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

Aerial view of a Temple. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

Selling fruit. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

On the phone. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

Bicycle. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

Aerial view of a Street. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

Early evening. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

Electric Bike. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

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Off The Wall Around The World (3)

Around Liverpool (37)

February 26, 2023
Waiting for the bus on Wavertree High Street. Liverpool August 2022.
Scooter in Picton Road. Liverpool August 2022.
Pedestrian passing a scooter on London Road. Liverpool August 2022.
Shop on London Road. Liverpool August 2022.
Cyclist on London Road. Liverpool August 2022.
Boarding the 79 bus. Liverpool August 2022.
Lime Street Liverpool August 2022.
Lime Street. Liverpool, June 22nd 2019.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Hanoi Vietnam (12)

February 24, 2023
Early evening in Hanoi. Vietnam 2019.
Drying clothes in Hanoi. Vietnam 2019.
Street seller in Hanoi. Vietnam 2019.
Waiting at traffic lights in Hanoi. Vietnam 2019.
Motor cyclist in Hanoi. Vietnam 2019.
Passenger getting off in Hanoi. Vietnam 2019.
Rooftop view in Hanoi. Vietnam 2019.
Motor cyclist on the phone in Hanoi. Vietnam 2019.
Looking down into the street in Hanoi. Vietnam 2019.
Moving building materials in Hanoi. Vietnam 2019.
Rooftop view in Hanoi. Vietnam 2019.
Hawker on the street in Hanoi. Vietnam 2019.

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Fighting Racism In 1994

February 23, 2023

Following the election of a British National Party councillor in Millwall, East London and the escalation in racist attacks in the area, the TUC joined with a broad platform of anti-racist organisations in a Unite Against Racism demonstration in Tower Hamlets on 19 March, 1994. The BNP candidate was defeated in the subsequent local elections and a Labour Council returned to power in the borough. I photographed the demonstration which attracted over 50,000 people. The art work below is made from two images I took on the march.

‘Fighting Racism in 1994’. Mixed media. 2021.

I believe photographs have an inherent historical value but I also view my archive as a resource where images can be re-imagined sometimes (as is in this case) to restate an idea. The fight against racism is ongoing. This image captures the anger of of those who’ve been subjected to it. It’s an anger that is reflected in the Black Lives Matter movement around the world today.

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Walking In A New World

February 10, 2023

In the 1980s I remember getting annoyed with editors when they cropped my photographs. Who would have thought that forty years later I would be harvesting different figures from images and creating new compositions!

The image below was made from three different files. Everyone I photograph on the street are in their own world. What are they thinking? Where are they going? Where have they been? What will happen to them in the future? These are some of the questions that occur to me when I review my street photographs of people frozen in time. I think the image below represents my curiosity about the individuals and my speculation about their lives.

I’ve always believed that all humans are linked together in a number of ways despite cultural, class or economic circumstances. These two individuals may have a lot in common although it’s likely their paths will never cross; both were photographed in different cities. The work therefore also explores the element of chance in all our lives.

They’ve been placed in an imaginary landscape which is a detail from a painting I made on the inside of a discarded corn flake box. Once the assembled image was printed I then worked on it with watercolour and pencil. Ultimately I’m attempting to get the viewer to look at the two subjects more closely unfettered by the street environment I photographed them in individually.

‘Walking In A New World’. Mixed media 2023.
‘Walking In A New World’ (detail). Mixed media 2023.
‘Walking In A New World’ (detail). Mixed media 2023.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Around Liverpool (36)

February 9, 2023
On the 79 bus. Liverpool August 2022.
Supermarket on Smithdown Road. Liverpool April 2022.
Runner on Lime Street. Liverpool August 2022.
Children on the street. Liverpool c.1979
Passing a shop in Wavertree. Liverpool 1979.
On the phone on Wavertree High Street. Liverpool April 2022.
Scooter on Lime Street. Liverpool August 2022.
Bootle, Liverpool 1980
Having a smoke in Bootle, Liverpool 1980.
Smithdown Road. Liverpool April 2022.
Wavertree High Street. Liverpool August 2022.
In a pub on Smithdown Road. Liverpool April 2022.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Around Liverpool (35)

February 8, 2023
Leaving the bus on Wavertree High Street. Liverpool April 2022.
On the 79 bus in Wavertree. Liverpool, December 2018.
Smithdown Road. Liverpool April 2022.
Waiting for the Pope to drive down Smithdown Road. Liverpool 1982.
Campaigners outside the former One Stop Shop (closed by the Council) on Picton Road. Liverpool April 2022.
Trump protest, Liverpool 2017
Anti Trump protest, Liverpool 2017.
Members of the Liverpool Philharmonic orchestra. Liverpool April 2022.
Tuning before the performance. Liverpool Philharmonic 2017.
Tuning before the performance. Liverpool Philharmonic 2017.
Wellington Road. Liverpool April 2022.
Conversation at the bar. The Dispensary pub, Renshaw Street. Liverpool, August 2019.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Food Bank Britain

January 30, 2023

During the recent nurses strike I spoke to a number of strikers who knew of colleagues using food banks or were using them themselves. As the cost of living soars more than half of NHS trusts and health boards are either providing or planning food banks for staff.

According to the Royal College of Nursing their members on average work an extra 6 hours for no extra pay each week. During the pandemic politicians lined up to have their photographs taken as they clapped for NHS workers. Now they are refusing to pay them a living wage for the incredible life saving work they do.

I hope the photomontage below expresses the outrage that millions of people in the UK feel about the lying, corrupt and hypocritical political class that rules over us. No one should have to use a food bank in the sixth richest economy in the world. Solidarity with everyone fighting back against the economic system that has brought a wretched poverty and life to millions in food bank Britain.

‘Food Bank Britain’ Photomontage January 2023.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

The Bridge

January 23, 2023
Woman walking under the bridge in Wheeler Street. London 1987
Woman walking under the bridge in Wheeler Street. London 1987.
Bangladesh 1996
Crossing a bridge in Sylhet. Bangladesh 1996.
Railway and motorcycle bridge. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.
Regents Canal c.1988
Bridge over the Regents Canal. London.
Woman walking under the Bridge in Brick Lane, London 2012
Woman walking under the Bridge in Brick Lane, London 2012.
Crossing the railway foot bridge from Cheshire Street. East London 2018.
Three people cross a bridge, Spitalfields 1984
Three people cross the bridge, Spitalfields 1984.
Smoking and listening under a bridge in Braithwaite Street. East London, August 2018.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Around Liverpool (34)

January 16, 2023
Wavertree High Street. Liverpool August 2022.
Outside the Picton pub on Picton Road. Liverpool, October 2019.
Drummers outside the Liverpool CWU building during a strike rally. Liverpool August 2022.
Cyclist and pedestrian on London Road. Liverpool August 2022.
rain
On a bike in Whitechapel. Liverpool, september 2018.
On the phone on London Road. Liverpool August 2022.
On the bus. Liverpool August 2022.
Free political prisoner Julian Assange. St Georges Hall, Liverpool August 2022.
'I, Daniel Blake". Liverpool May 2017.
‘I, Daniel Blake”. Liverpool May Day demonstration, 2017.

You can purchase a print of any of the thousands of photographs on this blog. Just send the date of the blog and the caption on the print. All images printed on high quality acid free A3 (£30) or A4 paper (£15) with a border – perfect for framing. Send your order through the comments section below the blog and include your name and address.

Around Liverpool (33)

January 6, 2023
Crossing the road in Lime Street. Liverpool August 2022.
Lime Street. Liverpool, February 2020.
Wearing headphones on London Road. Liverpool August 2022.
Wearing Headphones on Smithdown Road. Liverpool 2019.
Having a laugh in the Belverdere pub. Liverpool August 2022.
Portrait through a glass in the Belverdere pub. Liverpool August 2022.
Inside Ye Cracke is a pub in Rice Street off Hope Street. Liverpool, February 2020.
Man wearing a mask on Picton Road. Liverpool August 2022.
On the phone at a bus stop on Church Road North. Liverpool, February 2018.

You can purchase a print of any of the thousands of photographs on this blog. Just send the date of the blog and the caption on the print. All images printed on high quality acid free A3 (£30) or A4 paper (£15) with a border – perfect for framing. Send your order through the comments section below the blog and include your name and address.

World Streets (3)

December 15, 2022

A Lady walking past the Hotel Pommeraye. Nantes, France 2011.
Clothes shop assistant. Hoi An, Vietnam 2016.
Clothes shop assistant. Hoi An, Vietnam 2016.
Cheshire Street, London 1985
Cheshire Street. East London 1985.
East village. New York 2005.
East village. New York 2005.
Jonker Street market. Melaka, Malaysia 2017.
Jonker Street market. Melaka, Malaysia 2017.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Smiles & Bikes

December 13, 2022
Cheshire Street. East London 2003.
A great smile. On the 61 bus. Liverpool 2017.
A great smile. On the 61 bus. Liverpool 2017.
woolen hat
Man on a bike in town. Liverpool, April 2018.
Abandoned bicycle frame
Abandoned bicycle frame, Bethnal Green 2008
Busker on Lime Street. Liverpool, February 2020.
Smiling in Whitechapel. East London 2009.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

World Streets (2)

December 7, 2022
Woman & child on a scooter. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.
Berlin 2014
Berlin 2014.
Stall holder at the night market. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.
Posters
Woman with a pushchair. Paris, 2004.
India c. 1992
Pulling a heavy load in Chennai. India 2007.
Pushing goods on Whitechapel market
Moving goods on Whitechapel market. East London, 2009.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Dhaka & London

December 6, 2022
Dhaka Bangladesh c.1994
Boy minding the shop. Dhaka, Bangladesh 1994.
Stall holder in Cheshire Street Warehouse. East London 2005.
Villagers in the trees outside of Dhaka, Bangladesh C.1992
Villagers in the trees. Bangladesh 1992.
Whitechapel Market 2014
Whitechapel Market. East London 2014.
Dhaka Bangladesh 1994
Woman in a Dhaka market. Bangladesh 1994.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

People, Offices & Cranes

December 5, 2022
Brick Lane. East London, 2016.
Spitalfields market and City offices. East London May 2010.
Spitalfields market and City offices. East London May 2010.
Waiting at a bus stop on Cambridge Heath Road. East London, September 2019.
Cranes in the City
Cranes in the City of London, 1990.
Whitechapel market. East London 2018.
Disused cranes
Three disused cranes on the Isle of Dogs. East London 1989.
Hawker. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Bricks, Mortar and Flowers

December 3, 2022
St Paul's Cathedral by a zebra crossing
St Paul’s Cathedral having a deep clean. London 2011.
New York 2005
Sun flower painted on a building. New York 2005.
Chester Cathedral 2015
The floor in the nave of Chester Cathedral, 2015.
Colour (inverted) photogram made from dead flower. 2017.
Photogram made from dead flower. 2017.
Nantes Cathedral 2014
Nantes Cathedral. France 2014.
Old & new architecture. Berlin 2004.
Berlin 2002
Flower on a head in Berlin, 2002.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

World Markets

December 2, 2022
Whitechapel traders, 1983
Market traders in Whitechapel Market. East London 1983.
Shop, Marrakech, Morocco 2007
Market in Marrakech. Morocco 2007.
Brick Lane Market c. 1983
Brick Lane Sunday. East London 1983.
A salesman at the Jonker Street night market. Melaka, February 2018.
A salesman at the Jonker Street night market selling lint brushes. Melaka, February 2018.
Dhaka, Bangladesh c.1992
Market trader in Dhaka. Bangladesh 1992.
Chaing Mai, Thailand 2017.
Market in Chaing Mai. Thailand 2017.
Brick Lane Market c.1989
Brick Lane Market. East London 1989.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Canals, Rivers & The Sea

December 1, 2022
The river Mersey & the Liver building. Liverpool, December 2018.
River boat, Dhaka Bangladesh, c. 1992
River boat, Dhaka. Bangladesh, 1992.
River Thames from Shadwell 1983
River Thames Viewed from a derelict warehouse in Shadwell. East London 1983.
River, Melaka 2015
River in Melaka. Malaysia 2015.
Boats on the river. Hoi An, Vietnam 2016.
Boats on the river. Hoi An, Vietnam 2016.
Swan travelling along the Regents Canal. Mile End Park, London 2008
Swan travelling along the Regents Canal. Mile End Park, East London 2008.
Shoreline from the air. Barcelona 2017.
Sunset over the Mekong river. Luang Prabang, Laos 2018.
River Thames 2006
River Thames. East London 2006.
At the canal in Chester, September 2018.
Regents Canal c.1988
Travelling down the Regents Canal from London. 1988.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

World Streets

November 30, 2022
Pulling a cart loaded with wood in Chennai. India 1991.
Market trader pushing goods to his stall, Whitechapel market, London 2007.
Dhaka, Bangladesh 1994Dhaka, Bangladesh 1994
Flooded Street in Dhaka, Bangladesh 1994.
Pushing a trolley. Commercial Street. East London 2017.
Pushing a trolley. Commercial Street. East London 2017.
Berlin 2014
Berlin, 2014.
Cyclist on Lime Street. Liverpool, October 2018.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Underground in Berlin, London & New York

November 29, 2022
Going East on the underground. East London, January 2019.
Underground in New York 2005.
London Underground 2004
London Underground 2004.
Underground conversation in New York 2005.
Underground, c. 1986
London Underground, 1986.
Passengers on the underground. Berlin 2019.
Underground c.1990
London Underground 1990.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

In The Hood

November 28, 2022
Man in a hood on London Road. Liverpool, 20th November 2019.
Passing the butchers on Allerton Road. Liverpool, July 2019.
Man in a hood on Brick Lane. East London 2019.
Boy in a hood. Blackpool 2017.
Boy in a hood. Blackpool 2017.
Boy wearing a parka, Brick Lane 1983
Boy wearing a parka, Brick Lane 1983
Wearing hoods on Lawrence Road. Liverpool, January 2019.
Kasbah, Marrakech, Morocco 2004
Wearing a hood in the Kasbah, Marrakech, Morocco 2004.
Young man in a hood getting on the bus. Liverpool 2019.
Cyclist in a hood on Brownlow Hill. Liverpool, 20th November 2019.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Berlin, Hanoi, London & New York

November 27, 2022
Bethnal Green Road c.1992
Bethnal Green Road. East London, 1992.
Bethnal Green Road c.1992
Bethnal Green Road. East London, 1992.
On the phone. Berlin 2019.
Looking through a window in New York, 2015.
Looking through a window in New York, 2015.
On the phone. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Market Trading

November 23, 2022
Market Place. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.
Market trader. Jogjakarta, Java 2020.
Whitechapel Market Trader 2015
Whitechapel Market Trader. East London, 2015.
Sclater Street c.1985
Sclater Street. East London 1985.
Stall holder at the night market. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

The Sun

November 22, 2022
Sunset over Wavertree Park. Liverpool, November 2018.
red sky
Sunset on Wavertree High Street. Liverpool, June 2018.
Sun, clouds and the sea in Kerry. Ireland 2010.
Sun, clouds and the sea in Kerry. Ireland 2010.
Sunset over the Mekong river. Luang Prabang, Laos 2018.
The sun at the Tate gallery, 2004
The sun at the Tate gallery. London 2004.
Lenin and 'The total eclipse of the Sun'. Temple Street Liverpool 2017.
Lenin and ‘The total eclipse of the Sun’. Temple Street Liverpool 2017.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Invasion?

November 20, 2022
‘Invasion’, photomontage after Dieric Bouts.

You would be right in thinking that the last successful invasion of the UK was in 1066. Home secretary Suella Braverman thinks another invasion is underway. With reference to refugees seeking asylum in the UK she recently told the House of Commons that the country was being subjected to an “invasion”. This was the day after a man with links to the far right threw firebombs at a Dover immigration centre. After an investigation, counter-terrorism police announced they had found evidence that the attack was motivated by an “extreme rightwing” terrorist ideology.

Apparently the home secretary’s first priority is to protect the security of the UK and the safety of its citizens. However her use of language stirs up hostility and racism towards refugees and others.

As well as harbouring fantasies about “invasion” she used her speech at the Tory Party conference to stir up hostility: “I would love to be having a front page of The Telegraph with a plane taking off to Rwanda. That’s my dream, that’s my dream, it’s my obsession,” Braverman said. She added that she would like to see the flight before Christmas. Braverman then used her ­conference speech to promise a blanket ban on anyone who enters Britain “irregularly” – ­including on small boats across the Channel. 

People fleeing war, poverty and climate chaos are very unlikely to use anything but “irregular” methods given the lack of official ways to come to Britain. Using government figures the Refugee Council points out that 76% of initial asylum decisions made in the year to June 2022 have been grants of protection, meaning they have been awarded refugee status or humanitarian protection. Currently there are 117,945 awaiting an initial decision about their status.

The Government’s attitude towards refugees is barbaric. This photomontage “Invasion” challenges the untruthful rhetoric directed at incredibly vulnerable people.

I’ve used a number of different images including the tender and powerful painting of the ‘Virgin and Child’ by the 15th century Dutch painter Dieric Bouts. The beach was photographed in Deal. Thanks to activist Hazuan Hashim for displaying the message welcoming refugees!

You can purchase a copy of this print here: https://etsy.me/3Gtww9P

Cycling, Pushing & Pulling

November 17, 2022
Woman recycling cardboard with her bike. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.
Woman on a bicycle, Wapping 2010
Woman on a bicycle, Wapping 2010.
Man pushing trolley on Brick Lane, 2010
Man pushing trolley on Brick Lane. East London, 2010.
Man with a pushchair. Watney Market. East London 2017.
Man with a pushchair. Watney Market. East London 2017.
Transporting goods in India, 2007.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Books, Petitions & Conversation

November 15, 2022
Reading a book in Whitechapel station. East London, 2002.
Signing a petition on Brick Lane against the war in Iraq. East London 2002.
Conversation on Brick Lane. East London 2002.
graffiti
Fashion Street. East London 2002.
Brick Lane. East London 2002.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Around Liverpool (32)

November 12, 2022
Wearing headphobes on Wavertree High Street. Liverpool, November 2022.
Conversation in Church Street. Liverpool, November 2022.
Homeless. Liverpool, November 2022.
Digital advertising in Lime Street. Liverpool, November 2022.
Wavertree High Street. Liverpool, November 2022.
On the phone, Wavertree High Street. Liverpool, November 2022.
Delivery cyclist in Church Street. Liverpool, November 2022.
Church Street. Liverpool, November 2022.
Wavertree High Street. Liverpool, November 2022.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

‘Looking East’. Mixed media collage

October 27, 2022
‘Looking East’. Mixed Media collage. 2022.
‘Looking East’. Mixed Media collage. 2022. Signed by the artist.

The mixed media collage (above) is based on the urban landscape of the City of London viewed from Whitechapel. The neat graphic sky line (2019) contrasts with the well worn coat of the smoking woman who appeared on the front cover of my book ‘Old Ladies of Whitechapel’ – published by Cafe Royal books. I photographed her in 1982 walking down Cheshire Street on a Sunday morning.

Two different eras are frozen in time. The woman can be viewed as a dogged survivor of a continuously shifting urban landscape that cares little for the inhabitants of the East End and more for the financial prowess of the City.

You can purchase this unique work here: etsy.me/3Da1jVG

Imagining Liz Truss

October 12, 2022

Given the self serving vanity of most politicians I usually relish producing satirical images of them. Nevertheless, the process requires a degree of awkward research of videos that can be used to grab images that can be manipulated. Liz Truss was particularly awkward because it meant I had to watch her grandstanding and promising everything to the Tory membership in order to gain votes in the leadership election. It was a nauseating experience that reminded me of a scene in Stanley Kubrick’s superb 1971 dystopian crime film ‘A Clockwork Orange‘. Malcolm McDowell played a sadistic gangleader who agrees to volunteer for a ‘conduct-aversion experiment’; at one point McDowell is seen strapped to a chair with his eyes tortured using a brutal device that clamped his eyes open as he watched a screen. I remember covering my eyes when I first saw the film in the 1970s.

You may conclude that I am not a fan of Liz Truss. I viewed all the footage I’d gathered of Truss with some horror. Lenin said that “fascism is capitalism in decay” and it certainly is the case that capitalism is in a deep crisis around the world. With two ideas in my head – horror and fascism – I arrived at the Liz Truss you see below. A sadistic face holds a bloodied knife; the Prime Minister becomes a ghoul starring in a horror movie presiding over cuts that will inevitably lead to the death of vulnerable UK citizens.

Liz Truss ‘Death by a thousand cuts’ – photomontage.

You can buy a limited edition signed copy of ‘Death by a thousand cuts’ here: theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/product/liz-truss-photomontage

Around The East End (34)

September 6, 2022
Take away lunch in Brushfield Street. East London 2018.
Bernie Saunders in Brushfield Street, 1989
Market trader, Bernie Saunders in Brushfield Street, 1989.
Shopping in Roman Road market. East London 2019.
Commercial Street. East London 2018.
East London March 2010.
Woman with a bike. Commercial street. East London March 2010.
Bishopsgate. East London 2018.
Looking out of a window in Bishopsgate. East London 1986.
Cyclist on Brick Lane. East London 2018.
Brick Lane c.1983
Young BMX cyclists gather for the demonstration on Brick Lane. East London 1982.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

London & Paris

August 18, 2022
Artist, Hazuan Hashim in a bar. Paris 2004.
Having a smoke at Liverpool Street underground Station. East London 1983.
Conversation. Paris, 2004.
graffiti street art
Emerging from under the bridge on Brathwait street. East London, April 2018.
Cyclist passing a restaurant. Paris 2004.
Underground c.1998
On the London Underground, 1998.
bollard
Having a rest. Paris, 2004.
Brick Lane betting shop. East London 1983.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Around The East End (33)

August 2, 2022
Delivering goods on Brick Lane. East London 2017.
Brick Lane c.1983
Brick Lane. East London 1983.
Whitechapel High Street. East London 2017.
Brick Lane. East London 2017.
Hanbury Street. East London 2017.
Hanbury Street c.1990
Returning from shopping. Hanbury Street, East London 1990.
Hanbury Street. East London 2017.
Commercial Street. East London 2017.
Having a smoke in Spitalfields Market. East London 2017.
Live music in Spitalfields market. East London 1998.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Around The East End (32)

August 1, 2022
Looking west from Whitechapel. East London 2017.
Looking West from Whitechapel c.1987
Looking West from Pauline House in Whitechapel. East London 1987.
Whitechapel High Street. East London 2017.
Man with supermarket trolley
Man with a supermarket trolley outside the Whitechapel gallery. East London, 1989.
Whitechapel High Street. East London 2017.
Whitechapel High Street. East London 2017.
Cash machine on Brick Lane. East London 2017.
Cash machine on Brick Lane. East London 2017.
Brick Lane. East London 2017.
Looking west from Whitechapel. East London 2017.
Whitechapel High Street. East London 2017.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Around The East End (31)

July 19, 2022
Crossing Commercial Street. East London 2017.
Commercial Street c.1993
Bus stop in Commercial Street. East London 1993.
Outside Liverpool Street Station. East London 2017.
Bishopsgate 1998
Reflection on Bishopsgate. East London 1998.
Man in Brick Lane cafe
Silhouette of a man sitting in the window of a cafe in Brick Lane, 1983.
Outside Liverpool Street Station. East London 2017.
On the phone in Bishopsgate. East London 2017.
Cyclist wearing headphones on Brick Lane. East London, February 2019.
Entering a shop in Bell Lane. East London 2017.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Berlin, Dhaka, Hanoi, London and Tamil Nadu

July 6, 2022
An old hand cart in the Sunday Petticoat Lane market. East London 1982.
India 2007
Tamil Nadu, India 2007.
Two old fashioned hand carts flank a young man eating his lunch
Whitechapel Market. East London 1984.
On the move, Dhaka Bangladesh 2008
On the move, Dhaka Bangladesh 2008.
Berlin 2014
Berlin, 2014.
Waiting at traffic lights in Hanoi. Vietnam 2019.
Lighting a cigarette in Osborne Street. East London, December 2017.
Lighting a cigarette in Osborne Street. East London, December 2017.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Dhaka and London

June 30, 2022
Reflections in a lake, Dhaka. Bangladesh 2009.
River Thames 2009
River Thames. London 2009.
Street in Dhaka. Bangladesh 2009.
bike
View from the top of a bus on Bethnal Green Road. East London, July 2016.
Street in Dhaka. Bangladesh 2009.
Transporting goods on Commercial Street. East London 2016.
Transporting goods in Dhaka. Bangladesh 2009.
Whitechapel market. East London 2018.
Rooftop with a satellite dish in Dhaka. Bangladesh 2009.
Christ Church from Spitalfields roof top c.1988
Christ Church from Spitalfields roof top. London 1988.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Escape

June 28, 2022
‘Escape’ – Photomontage / collage, 2022.

As a teenager at school I had a range of different jobs from paper boy and potato picking to stacking supermarket shelves. Then as a student teacher I worked during the holidays as a gardener and as a labourer on the National Exhibition Centre near Birmingham. None of these jobs were particularly challenging from an intellectual point of view but in some ways I probably learnt more about real life than I did from the books I had to read.

During my labouring job I learnt how to let my mind wander. These days I note that the workers who have to cycle around delivering food and wait outside restauraunts similarly may have wandering minds. Perhaps they dream of escaping from the tedium of their precarious low paid work; hence the title of the above image of a cyclist on a mission in a dream like landscape: ‘Escape’.

You can purchase this print and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Around Liverpool (31)

June 27, 2022
Bus Stop on Picton Road. Liverpool 2022.
Playing cricket in Wavertree. Liverpool, 1978.
Cyclist delivering foodon Picton Road. Liverpool 2022.
Catholic Cathedreal from a distance. Liverpool 1979.
Catholic Cathedral from a distance. Liverpool 1979.
Thorneycroft Road. Liverpool, 2022.
Lodge Lane. Liverpool 1981
Lodge Lane. Liverpool 1981.
Thorneycroft Road. Liverpool, 2022.
Liverpool City Centre 2015
On the phone in Liverpool. City Centre 2015.
Thorneycroft Road. Liverpool, 2022.
Wearing headphones on the 79 bus. Liverpool, July 2019.
Supermarket on Smithdown Road. Liverpool, 2022.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Around The East End (30)

June 19, 2022
Conversation in Fashion Street. East london 2015.
Passing a fashion poster in Commercial Street. East London, January 2019.
On the phone in Fashion Street. East London, December 2017.
eatin,food
Fashion Street. East London 2017.
bald
Man on the phone outside a tattoo shop on Fashion Street. East London, December 2017.
graffiti
Fashion Street. East London 2002.
Fashion in Whitechapel. East London, September 2017.
Fashion in Whitechapel. East London, September 2017.
Fashion Street 2014
Poster on Fashion Street. East London 2014.
Fashion Street c.1992
Fashion Street. East London 1992.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Around The East End (29)

June 16, 2022
Bethnal Green Road, East London 2002.
Bethnal Green Road, East London 2002.
Brick Lane Music Hall 1990
Brick Lane Music Hall. East London 1990.
Brick Lane. East London 2002.
Old Montague Street 2013
Old Montague Street, London 2013
Michael having a pint in the Golden Heart pub. East London 2018.
Stepney 2000
Stepney. East London 2000.
Inside the Pride of Spitalfields pub. East London 2017.
Brick Lane. East London 2002.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Cave Paintings Are Not ‘Primitive’

June 7, 2022
Cave painting with McDonald’s logo (photomontage)

The cave paintings in Lescaux in France made some 17,000 years ago are sometimes referred to as ‘primitive art’. The caves contain nearly 6,000 figures and were discovered in 1940 by 18-year-old Marcel Ravidat when his dog, Robot, fell in a hole!

The cave complex was opened to the public on 14 July 1948, and initial archaeological investigations began a year later, focusing on the Shaft. By 1955, carbon dioxide, heat, humidity, and other contaminants produced by 1,200 visitors per day had visibly damaged the paintings. As air condition deteriorated, fungi and lichen increasingly infested the walls. Consequently, the cave was closed to the public in 1963, the paintings were restored to their original state, and a monitoring system on a daily basis was introduced. Replicas of the paintings have been made at different sites.

Seeing photographs of the many paintings I’ve never considered them to be primitive in any sense. They strike me as a sophisticated celebration of the world as it existed then by the people who occupied the caves. Walking up Wavertree high street the other day I took a photograph of a disgarded McDonald’s carton and for some reason thought about what humans of that era would think of fast food and the consequences the industry has in wrecking the environment of the world today.

By placing the logo on one of the paintings I’m asking the question is the world advancing or are we facing an environmental catastrophe? I’m certain of one thing: the humans who existed in those caves were artistic, survived through cooperation and were in no sense ‘primitive’. We can learn a lot from those early human communities. As Bertrand Russell once said: “The only thing that will redeem mankind is cooperation”.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

International Street Photography (7)

May 25, 2022
On the phone. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.
New York 2005
New York, 2005.
Lovers at the night market. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.
New York 2005
Man with a supermarket trolley. New York 2005.
Scooter. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.
Marrakech 2005
Motorcyclist and passenger. Marrakech 2005
Out of it. Manchester, September 2018.
On the street. Paris, 2004.
Chennai, India 2007
Chennai, India 2007.
Leipzig Germany 2014
Leipzig. Germany 2014.
A Lady walking past the Hotel Pommeraye. Nantes, France 2011
A Lady walking past the Hotel Pommeraye. Nantes, France 2011

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Conversations (8)

May 18, 2022
Conversation on a street in Wavertree. Liverpool 1979.
Conversation and newspapers on London Road. Liverpool, March 2019.
Conversation on Wavertree High Street. Liverpool, January 2019.
Conversation outside the launderette on Wavertree High Street. Liverpool, December 16th 2018.
Conversation on Lime Street. Liverpool, August 2018.
Conversation at the bar. The Dispensary pub, Renshaw Street. Liverpool, August 2019.
Conversation in Queen Square. Liverpool, November 2018.
Conversation in St John’s. Liverpool, August 22nd 2018.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Conversations (7)

May 16, 2022
Conversation. Paris, 2004.
Conversation on Lime Street. Liverpool, July 2018.
Conversation between Taxi drivers on Hanover Street. Liverpool, August 2019.
Conversation in the Post House pub. Liverpool, September 2018.
Street conversation. Rome 2018.
Conversation next to a bus stop on the Roman Road. East London, January 2019.
Street conversation. Rome 2018.
Conversation on Lime Street. Liverpool, January 2019.
Conversation on Bethnal green Road. East London, April 2018.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Around The East End (28)

May 14, 2022
Transporting goods on Commercial Street. East London 2016.
Moving goods to Whitechapel Market. East London, 2014.
On the phone in Greatorex Street. East London 2016.
Vallance Road c.1983
Vallance Road. East London, 1983.
On the phone in Commercial Street. East London 2016.
Man with an umbrella on Brick Lane. East London 2016.
Brick Lane. East London 2018.
Christchurch viewed from Spitalfields market. East London 2016.
Christ Church c.1985
Christ Church. East London 1985.
Commercial Street. East London 2016.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Homeless – Photomontage

May 9, 2022
‘Homeless’. Photomontage, 2022.

People become homeless for lots of different reasons. There are social causes of homelessness, such as a lack of affordable housing, poverty and unemployment; and life events which push people into homelessness. People are forced into homelessness when they leave prison, care or the army with no home to go to. Many women experiencing homelessness have escaped a violent or abusive relationship. Many people become homeless because they can no longer afford the rent. Not everyone who becomes homeless ends up on the street. Many homeless people are hidden because they are living in over crowded conditions or sleeping on a friends couch.

There’s a severe housing crisis in the UK and many people will never be able to buy their own house. Decent housing is a basic human right and this photomontage addresses the issue in terms of street homelessness. Seven different images make up the final composition – including a lake in Cambodia.

The average age of death for people experiencing homelessness is 45 for men and 43 for women. People sleeping on the street are almost 17 times more likely to have been victims of violence. More than one in three people sleeping rough have been deliberately hit or kicked or experienced some other form of violence whilst homeless.

Homeless people are over nine times more likely to take their own life than the general population. 

You can purchase this photomontage and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Conversations (6)

May 6, 2022
Conversation in Lime Street. Liverpool, May 2018.
Conversation on Commercial Road. East London 2004.
Conversation in Hanoi. Vietnam 2019.
Conversation on Roman Road. East London, January 2019.
Conversation in Smithdown Road. Liverpool, 15th September 2018.
pushchair
Conversation on Picton Road. Liverpool, July 2018.
smoking
Conversation on Braithwaite Street. East London 2018.
Conversation at a bus stop on Wavertree High Street. Liverpool, 3rd August 2018.
Conversation on Prescot Street. Liverpool, June 2019.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Conversations (5)

May 3, 2022
Conversation on Lime Street. Liverpool, April 2019.
Conversation in St Johns shopping centre.
Conversation on Brick Lane corner. East London 2019.
Conversation in the Grapes pub in Roscoe Street. Liverpool, January 2019.
Conversation in Whitechapel market. East London, August 2018.
Conversation outside a florist on Bethnal Green Road. East London 2019.
Conversation over lunch in Hanoi. Vietnam 2019.
Conversation on the district line. East London, 1997.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Conversations (4)

May 1, 2022
Conversation on Whitechapel High Street. East London 2018.
Conversation in St Johns shopping centre. Liverpool, June 2019.
Conversation on Brick Lane. East London, August 2018.
Conversation in a supermarket. Liverpool, May 2019.
Conversation in Brick Lane. East London, 2018.
Conversation in the early hours of the morning on Hanbury Street. East London 2018.
Street conversation. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.
Conversation in Sclater Street. East London 2016.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Terry Sullivan 1948 – 2022

April 28, 2022
Terry next to a Trade Union banner – Photomontage.

Terry Sullivan was born on July 17th 1948 – 12 days after The NHS came into operation; it guaranteed free health care from the ‘cradle to grave’ with treatment offered according to medical need rather than the ability to pay. As a life long Trade Unionist, Terry understood that his parents generation had to fight for the NHS and knew that, in the words of Nye Bevan, “Our NHS will last while there are folk left with the faith to fight for it”. Sadly Terry has left us at a time when the new NHS privatisation bill is waiting royal assent. He was an NHS baby and enjoyed his entire life when universal health care was guaranteed by law.

In his later years Terry benefited from an NHS that treated his cancer. I remember him describing the “marvellous” treatment he received at St Bartholomew’s Hospital. An experience and hospital we both shared.

Terry’s mum outside Bethnal Green Town Hall (right) lobbying against budget cuts in the 1980s.

I first met Terry at a Labour Party meeting held in the former Bethnal Green Town Hall in Patriot Square. The building has now been turned into an upmarket hotel reflecting the gentrification that has blighted the East End in recent decades. Instead of public services and debate the Town Hall now offers “A relaxed post-work cocktail or a pre-dinner aperitivo”. I’ve never shared either of those drinks with Terry but I remember sharing many a pint with him at the ‘Approach’ pub a short walk from the town hall. Indeed I think I’ve shared pints with him in many different pubs around the East End! Terry had a difficult relationship with alcohol and mentioned it to me, in the pub, on a number of occasions.

I was fortunate to be elected to Tower Hamlets Council at the same time as Terry. We were both used to campaigning outside the Town Hall against the cuts rather than being ‘on the inside’ in the Council Chamber. Naturally we became political soulmates and supported each other. Terry was often a speaker representing the Transport & General Workers Union (now Unite) in some disagreement with Tower Hamlets Council. It was not uncommon to see him with shop stewards like John Peters on a platform with fellow Trade Unionists lambasting Councillors as they arrived at the town hall for a Council meeting.

Terry talking about the importance of public service provision on behalf of his T&GWU members. Outside Bethnal Green Town Hall, 1980s. John Peters on his right.

The 1980s was an interesting time politically for a newly elected Councillor. Unfortunately Labour was not in control of Tower Hamlets but the party membership was acutely aware of the growing battle between Labour Councils and Margaret Thatcher. As a supporter of the Militant newspaper Terry believed it was the job of Labour Councillors to fight the cuts rather than implement them on behalf of the Tories. There was little chance of this happening in Tower Hamlets as the Liberal democrats had overall control. In opposition Terry never tired of reminding the Council leadership that they were stooges for the Tories.

In 1983 six months before the general election, Margaret Thatcher was at rock bottom in the polls. Nevertheless, thanks to the jingoism that accompanied the Falklands war and the formation of the right wing Social Democratic Party (which helped to divide the traditional Labour vote) she was re-elected. This was the signal to the ruling class to take back all the gains made since the 1945 Labour victory.

Terry Sullivan was elected a Councillor in 1986 and was on board for the agreed Labour party conference policy for all Labour controlled local authorities to support a campaign of opposition to Thatcher and the cuts in local authority expenditure. Previously in 1984 Ken Livingstone declared his support for a policy of outright opposition to the Thatcher government. As things turned out Livingstone’s declaration was not matched with deeds. I recall a flying visit to Tower Hamlets by Livingstone in 1985 to commemorate the victory of Poplar Councillors who ended up in jail for refusing to set a rate in order to protect the poor. By this time Livingstone had caved in and a legal rate was set by the GLC and the crowd assembled to hear Livingstones words were annoyed with him.

Under the leadership of George Lansbury Poplar council was faced with the prospect of a huge increase in the rates but decided to hold them down by not collecting the precepts. The councillors clashed with a decision of the High Court ordering them to implement the rate increases. Instead they organised a procession of thousands of supporters under the banner reading “Poplar Borough Council marching to the High Court and possibly to prison”. Thirty councillors, including six women were sent to prison for contempt of court. Under the leadership of George Lansbury the councillors adopted the slogan “Better to break the law than break the poor”.

The Poplar revolt received wide public support. Lansbury addressed crowds that regularly gathered outside, through the prison bars. Neighbouring councils threatened to take similar action. Trade unions passed resolutions of support and collected funds for the councillors’ families. After six weeks’ imprisonment, the court responded to public opinion and released the councillors.

Never fearful of speaking the truth Terry Sullivan spoke immediately after Ken Livingstone’s speech and reminded the crowd of the slogan of Poplar Councillors: ‘Better to break the law than break the poor’. This slogan was later embraced by the 47 Liverpool councillors who stuck by the decision of opposing cuts. In the end they were the only council to succeed in extracting extra funding from the government. I remember thinking after Terry spoke what a shame it was that Livingstone missed Terry’s excellent contribution!

Poplar Councillors who inspired the politics of Terry Sullivan also inspired the ‘Liverpool 47’.

As a Trade Unionist who knew the value of solidarity Terry threw himself into the campaign to support striking miners. Bethnal Green and Stepney Labour Party twinned with the Kiveton Park colliery in South Yorkshire. Albert Bownes the NUM secretary of the colliery visited Tower Hamlets and spoke at a number of meetings Terry helped to organise. He was instrumental in collecting food and money for the striking miners and their families.

Kiveton Park (on Strike), 1984
Kiveton Park (on Strike), 1984

I remember travelling with Terry and Sue Carlyle to Kiveton Park in 1984. We took with us food, money and supplies donated by people from Tower Hamlets.

Terry Sullivan with the delegation from the East End shortly before we set off for Kiveton. Stepney 1984.

The day after our visit miners from Kiveton went to Orgreave. Since then the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign was established. The campaign includes ex-miners, trades unionists, activists and others who are determined to get justice for miners who were victims of police lies and cover ups at Orgreave in June 1984.

Terry (wearing the white shirt) giving a message of solidarity at the Kiveton Park Miner’s social club, 1984.

The miners strike began in 1984 when the then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher broke an agreement with the NUM and decided to shut down Cortonwood colliery in Yorkshire. From the outset Terry Sullivan threw himself into the campaign to support the miners. Thatcher was a powerful warrior for the ruling class and wanted to break the NUM and had built up oil and coal reserves to mitigate the impact of any strike by miners in opposition to pit closures. Arch strike breaker Ian McGregor, who made a career out of attacking Trade Unions, was made chairman of the National Coal Board to break the NUM. The strike led by Arthur Scargill drew support from rank & file trade unionists & communities across the UK. Labour parties twinned with individual pitts. At the time Terry was a member of Bethnal Green & Stepney Labour party and we twinned with Kiveton Park colliery in South Yorkshire. Miners from Kiveton joined us as we collected money for striking miners and their families during the strike. Each Saturday Terry would stand outside the supermarket in Watney Market and collect money and food for Kiveton Park as well as handing out leaflets. Once we had enough food we hired a van and drove to South Yorkshire with the food and money. The hospitality we gave the miners when they stayed with us in the East End of London was reciprocated in Kiveton. We were entertained, and educated about the real meaning of struggle.

Terry at the Kiveton Park pit head with his daughter Joanne, 1984.

The miners were really up against the forces of the state. The police were retrained to break strikes and given extraordinary powers. Picket’s cars were stopped and turned back. Villages and districts were cordoned off. The president of the NUM Arthur Scargill was demonised by the press and media. Just as, in recent times, Jeremy Corbyn was demonised by the mainstream media.

Ultimately the miners were defeated but I think in one sense they were victorious. Terry Sullivan always made the point that the Tories were diverted and stopped in their tracks for a year. Women were liberated and became central to every aspect of the management of the strike. That included standing on picket lines. Attitudes changed.

The solidarity that exploded during the strike gave us a glimpse of the way the world could be organised. The strike lasted as long as it did because of co-operation between different communities. Terry understood that Trade Union rights were the human rights that the state was trying to destroy. He understood that Socialism was the alternative to Capitalism. During the strike he lived and breathed the oxygen of solidarity and knew that another world is possible and it’s not just a dream. 

Cable Street 50th anniversary March 1986
Cable Street 50th anniversary march on Brick Lane, 1986.

Terry Sullivan played an important role in organising the 50th anniversary celebration of the historic battle of Cable Street when the working class rose up to stop Oswald Mosley’s 3,000 fascist Blackshirts marching through Whitechapel.

Cable Street turned the tide of pre-war public opinion when support for fascism in Britain began to decline. Mosley’s planned march from Tower Hill through Whitechapel was seen as provocation against the East End’s largely Jewish community.

Terry (far right) at the head of the anniversary march on Brick Lane, 1986.

Although Terry played an important role as a member of the Tower Hamlets Trades Council in supporting anti racist initiatives he was probably more comfortable when he was able to familiarise fascists with his boot size.

‘They shall not pass’ was the message from the Battle Of Cable Street. Thanks to trade unionists like Terry Sullivan this has been passed on to younger generations.

Terry Sullivan was a one off and will be remembered with affection by many. He leaves three children – Joanne, Paul and Rosy who were with him together with his companion Bertie Dangerfield when he died.

Evolution

April 25, 2022
‘Evolution’. Photomontage 2022.

Anatomically modern humans appeared in Africa approximately 300,000 years ago. Since then how far has the human race advanced? This photomontage asks the question.

You can purchase this print and photographs by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Conversations (3)

April 23, 2022
Street conversation. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.
Conversation on Brownlow Hill. Liverpool November 24th 2019.
Conversation outside Whitechapel station. East London 2003.
Street conversation. Hanoi 2019.
Conversation in St Johns shopping centre. Liverpool, June 22nd 2019.
Conversation on Allerton Road. Liverpool, October 2018.
Conversation in Fashion Street. East london 2015.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Global Village?

April 20, 2022
‘Global Village’. Photomontage 2022.

The word ‘Globalisation’, describes the interaction and integration among people, companies, and governments worldwide. I remember it becoming a popular word twenty five years ago when politicians were using it to describe what they perceived to be the benefits of world trade and international links. An accompanying phrase was ‘global village’ which was used to describe what some politicians and economists described as a bright new future bought about by advances in transportation and digital communication technology. I always disliked the phrase as it seemed to imply a bright new world where humanity was wrapped in a cosy blanket of innovation and development that would benefit everyone.

The photomontage ‘Global Village’ examines the veracity of the global village concept. Despite advances in technology and communication globalisation has reinforced structural inequalities around the world. We live in a world and economic system that pepetuates the poverty of billions across the planet. A world where power is concentrated into the hands of corporations and their shareholders who yield power with disasterous consequences for the environment and humanity.

You can purchase this print and photographs by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Conversations (2)

April 19, 2022
Conversation on the underground. Berlin 2019.
Conversation on Picton Road. Liverpool August 2019.
Conversation on the Roman Road. East London 2019.
cap
Conversation on Lime Street. Liverpool, July 25th 2018.
Conversation inside the Beigel shop on Brick Lane. East London 2019.
Conversation at the bar. The Dispensary pub, Renshaw Street. Liverpool, August 2019.
Conversation outside Whitechapel station. East London 2003.
Conversation on Brick Lane. East London 2002.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Street Conversations

April 11, 2022
Sunday afternoon conversation on Whitechapel Road. East London 1983.
Conversation on the Roman Road. East London 2019.
Conversation at the bar. The Dispensary pub, Renshaw Street. Liverpool, August 2019.
Conversation on Sandown Lane. Liverpool, February 2020.
sun glasses
Conversation on the 86 bus. Liverpool, July 2018.
The Richmond pub. Liverpool 2019.
Conversation in a cafe on Whitechapel Road. East London 1988.
Conversation on Whitechapel Road. East London 1994.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

International Street Photography (6)

April 5, 2022
A crowd at Paris Pride, 2004.
Waiting for a train on the underground. Berlin 2019.
bollard
Having a rest. Paris, 2004.
Bangladesh early 1990s
Rickshaw driver pulling a motorcycle and passenger. Dhaka, Bangladesh, 1994.
Two women walking together in Marakeech 2005
Two women walking together in Marakeech 2005
Passing the Co-op. Wolverhampton 2017.
Passing the Co-op. Wolverhampton 2017.
sea
MacDuff. Scotland, December 2017.
Barcelona. Man moving a chair 2005
Man moving a chair. Barcelona, Spain 2005
An old hand cart in the Sunday Petticoat Lane market. East London 1982.
New York 2005
New York 2005.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Around The East End (27)

April 1, 2022
Passing Bishopsgate Library. East London, August 2018.
Newspaper seller, Bishopsgate 1989.
Leaving Liverpool Street Station. East London, August 2018.
Bag lady at Broadgate
Homeless person at Broadgate development in Bishopsgate. East London 1986.
Leaving Liverpool Street Station. East London, August 2018.
Market traders at the Brick Lane Market, Sclater Street 1987
Market traders, Sclater Street. East London 1987.
Wearing headphones in Bishopsgate. East London, August 2018.
Man with cup of tea in Cafe. Whitechapel 1985
Man in a Cafe. East London 1985.
On the phone in Bethnal Green Road. East London, August 2018.
Inside Spitalfields Market. East London, August 2018.
Spitalfields market, Commercial Street, London 1983
Salvaging vegetables at Spitalfields market, Commercial Street. East London 1983.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

A World Without Mobile Phones?

March 21, 2022
‘A world without mobile phones?’. Photomontage 2022.

What kind of impact has digital technology had on our lives? Do mobile phones bring human beings closer together or do we become isolated in our own digital world? Are we closer to the natural environment of the planet or are we disconnected from it? These are some of the questions I’ve tried to address in this photomontage which is made from seven separate images. Three were taken in Liverpool. Two in London. The man on the scooter was captured in Berlin and the mountains surround the village of Kyparissi in Greece.

You can purchase this print and photographs by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

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Jogjakarta

March 19, 2022

Yogyakarta is a city on the Indonesian island of Java known for its traditional arts and cultural heritage. It’s well worth a visit!

Afternoon sleep. Jogjakarta 2020.
Market trader. Jogjakarta 2020.
Gamelan musician. Jogjakarta 2020.
Reading a newspaper. Jogjakarta 2020.
Street trader, Jogjakarta 2020.
Market place. Jogjakarta 2020.
Market place. Jogjakarta 2020.
Market place. Jogjakarta 2020.
Rickshaw driver taking a break. Jogjakarta 2020.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Earth On Fire

March 16, 2022
‘Earth On Fire’. Photomontage, March 2022.

Since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels (like coal, oil and gas), which produces heat-trapping gases. Since 1870, global sea levels have risen by about 8 inches. Global climate change has already had observable effects on the environment. Glaciers have shrunk, ice on rivers and lakes is breaking up earlier, plant and animal ranges have shifted and trees are flowering sooner.

This photomontage is designed to illustrate the serious impact human activity has had on the environment. In his excellent book ‘Ecocide’ David Whyte, Professor of Socio-Legal Studies at the University of Liverpool, argues that corporations are a critical yet neglected cause of our global environmental crisis. The problems they create are wired into their DNA of shareholder primacy and profit or wealth maximisation – a phenomenon now acknowledged widely as financialisation. Furthermore, the corporate veil of limited liability and responsibility, and their concentration of political and structural power, enables corporations to shop between jurisdictions, playing a game of tax, offshore secrecy and regulatory arbitrage to evade environmental responsibility.

The climate crisis reflects the failure of economics as capitalism is actually the cause of the problem and climate change merely a symptom. The fight against global warming is inevitably a fight against capitalism. David Whyte ends his book on ecocide with these stark words: “We have to kill the corporation before it kills us.” The guiding idea of contemporary capitalism is to maximize short-term profitability, a posture that contradicts the kind of approach that would protect the natural habitat against the ravages wrought by contemporary capitalism.

You can purchase this print and photographs by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Around The East End (26)

March 15, 2022
On the phone outside Shoreditch Station. East London 2018.
Man with a walking stick. Brick Lane 1984.
Man with a walking stick on Brick Lane. East London 1984.
Brick Lane at night. East London 2018.
Night time in Bishopsgate. East London, January 2019.
The Pride of Spitalfields Pub. East London 2018.
Outside the Ten Bells pub on Commercial Street. East London 2018.
Book seller in Spitalfields Market. East London 2018.
On the phone in Stepney. East London, August 2018.
Passing ‘Dirty Dicks’ on Bishopsgate. East London 2018.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Stop The War

March 14, 2022
‘Stop War’. Photomontage, March 2022.

Has art driven major social and political change in the 21st century? Possibly not, but it has certainly provided an alternative to the status quo support for war and a system that upholds discrimination, social and climate injustice. Art is a powerful tool for communicating an alternative vision of the world and accelerating change. I remember in the 1960s and 70s having a visceral fear of the threat of nuclear war. I never believed the rhetoric of those who’ve argued that nuclear weapons have kept us all safe from war. Nuclear weapons have never protected the people of Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen or Palestine from war.

In January 2022 the Science and Security Board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists set the Doomsday Clock at 100 seconds to midnight. At that time, they called out Ukraine as a potential flashpoint in an increasingly tense international security landscape. For many years, they have warned that the most likely way nuclear weapons might be used is through an unwanted or unintended escalation from a conventional conflict. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has brought this nightmare scenario to life, with Russian President Vladimir Putin threatening to elevate nuclear alert levels and even first use of nuclear weapons if NATO steps in to help Ukraine. This is what 100 seconds to midnight looks like.

This Photomontage uses an x-ray photograph of an acient Egyptian skull that has been mummified. Mummification was designed to enable members of the Egyptian elite to survive death and enjoy the afterlife. Nuclear war will signal the death of all life on earth. The idea of surviving a nuclear war resonates with the same mytholygy of ancient Egypt. Nuclear bunkers for the super rich will only ensure a slow lingering death. I made this work as a contribution to the anti-war movement.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

International Street Photography (5)

February 25, 2022
Bicycle. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.
New York 2005
Man with a supermarket trolley. New York 2005.
Venice 2006
Walking home in Venice. Italy, 2006.
sea
MacDuff. Scotland, December 2017.
Kuala Lumpur 2005
Kuala Lumpur 2005
Reading on Brick Lane. East London 2009.
Bangladesh 2008
Man on a phone in a rickshaw. Bangladesh 2008.
Posing for the camera. Liverpool 1979.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Rising East

February 11, 2022
‘Rising East’. Mixed media on canvas 40x 50cm. 2021.
‘Rising East'(detail). Mixed media on canvas 40x 50cm. 2021.
‘Rising East'(detail). Mixed media on canvas 40x 50cm. 2021.
‘Rising East'(detail). Mixed media on canvas 40x 50cm. 2021.
‘Rising East'(detail). Mixed media on canvas 40x 50cm. 2021.
The Journal of East London Studies, 1999.

‘Rising East’ – a mixed media piece on canvas was based on two photographs I took of children from Fieldgate Mansions in Stepney in 1983. One of the images was published as a post card and another ended up on the cover of ‘Rising East’ The Journal of East London Studies in 1999.

You can purchase this and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Around The East End (25)

February 7, 2022
Brick Lane c.1983
Young BMX cyclists on Brick Lane. East London 1982.
Cyclist on Brushfield Street. East London 2018.
Woman pushing a pram in Spitalfields Market. East London 2018.
Spitalfields Market 1989
Spitalfields Market. East London 1989.
Cyclist on Commercial Street. East London 2018.
East London March 2010.
Woman with a bike. Commercial street. East London March 2010.
On the phone in Liverpool Street Station. East London 2018.
On the phone on the Roman Road. East London 2019.
Travellers in Liverpool Street Station. East London 2018.
Portrait of a lady at Bishopsgate opposite Liverpool street station
A woman looking out a window. Bishopsgate 1989.
Outside a shop on Brick Lane. East London 2018.
Brick Lane c.1984
Having a rest in Brick Lane. East London 1984.

You can purchase prints and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Precarious working

February 4, 2022
‘Delivered’ – photomontage 2022.

Millions of workers in the UK are working on the minimum wage or below without any job security and very few employment rights. This lack of financial security causes a loss of dignity at work, and the inability to progress in a career or train to leave. They work long hours and are often living in poor housing.

This photomontage is a tribute to the millions of people world wide who cycle around delivering food and shopping to customers. Their long working hours and financial hardship can lead to social isolation and depression. The main reason workers take on this work is because it is the only form
available. Fortunately many precarious workers are coming together, joining unions to organise for better pay and conditions.

You can purchase this print and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Around The East End (24)

January 31, 2022
Smoking on Cambridge Heath Road. East London 2013.
Smoke break for City worker in Bishopsgate. East London 2018.
Spitalfields Market. East London 2018.
Live music in Spitalfields market. East London 1998.
Brushfield Street. East London 2018.
Spitalfields Market 1989
Brushfield Street. East London 1989.
Liverpool Street Station. East London 2018.
Homeless in Bishopsgate. East London 2018.
Bag lady in Spitalfields resting on a door step, 1987
Homeless woman with a newspaper. East London 1987.

You can purchase prints and art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Around The East End (23)

January 29, 2022
Whitechapel Station c.1984
Whitechapel Station. East London 1984.
Underground. East London, April 2018.
Braithwaite Street. East London, April 2018.
Hanbury Street 2013
Hanbury Street. East London 2013.
Bethnal Green Road. East London, April 2018.
Three girls on Bethnal Green Road. East London 1983.
ShoreditchStation. East London, April 2018.
hood
Homeless person in Shoreditch station. East London, January 2019.
Braithwaite Street. East London, April 2018.
Whitechapel Station 2007
Whitechapel Station. East London, 2007.

You can purchase prints and art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Around Liverpool (30)

January 27, 2022
Smithdown Road. Liverpool, October 2018.
Shopping in Walton. Liverpool, August 2016.
Hanover Street. Liverpool, August 2016.
Taxi on a lorry in Lawrence Road. Liverpool, June 2019.
Cyclist on Wavertree High Street. Liverpool, August 2016.
Cyclist turning into Lawrence Road. Liverpool, May 31st 2019.
On the phone in town. Liverpool, August 2016.
Man on the phone in Church Alley. Liverpool, September 2019.

You can purchase prints and art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Women Of Bangladesh

January 26, 2022
‘Women of Bangladesh’. Mixed media on canvas (40 x 50cm).
‘Women of Bangladesh’. Mixed media on canvas, detail, (40 x 50cm).
‘Women of Bangladesh’. Mixed media on canvas, detail, (40 x 50cm).
‘Women of Bangladesh’. Mixed media on canvas, detail, (40 x 50cm).
‘Women of Bangladesh’. Mixed media on canvas, detail, (40 x 50cm).

You can purchase this and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

International Street Photography (4)

January 25, 2022
Three on a motorcycle wearing face masks. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.
Berlin 2014
On a bike in Berlin, 2014.
Amsterdam 2014
Three on a bike. Amsterdam 2014.
Street scene. Naples 1986
Street scene. Naples 1986.
Rickshaw,Bangladesh 1994
Rickshaw in Dhaka. Bangladesh 1994.
On the phone. Wolverhampton 2017.
On the phone. Wolverhampton 2017.
Looking through a window in New York, 2015.
Looking through a window in New York, 2015.
Dhaka, Bangladesh c. 1992
Having a cup of tea in Dhaka. Bangladesh 1992.
Having a drink. Aintree 2017.
Having a drink & a smoke at Aintree. England 2017.
On the phone. Prague, October 2018.

You can purchase prints and art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/

Cellular Data Brains

January 24, 2022
‘Cellular Data Brains’. Photomontage 2022.

This photomontage combines seven different images. The man wearing a mask is a cleaner in a shopping Mall in Liverpool. He’s the only person who appears aware of his surroundings. The subjects are united by the space they share, the sky, rather than ground they occupy individually. The phone signals bounce around the metaverse; their reality is virtual.

You can purchase this print and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Around The East End (22)

January 19, 2022
Passers by on Brick Lane. East London 2019.
Whitechapel High Street. East London 2004.
Whitechapel High Street. East London, August 2018.
On the phone in Commercial Street. East London, April 2018.
Looking west from Whitechapel. East London, August 2018.
Looking West from Pauline House in Old Montague Street. East London 2007.
evening standard
Newspaper seller at Aldgate East Station. East London, 1985.
Whitechapel Station. East London, August 2018.
Underground c. 1991
Inside Whitechapel station. East London 1991.
Whitechapel Road 2014
Whitechapel Road. East London 2014.
Man with a pram, Toynbee street 1988
Man with a pram, Toynbee street. East London 1988.

You can purchase photographs and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Mobile Phone City

January 19, 2022
‘Mobile Phone City’. Photomontage 2022.

What kind of impact has digital technology had on our lives? Do mobile phones bring human beings closer together or do we become isolated in our own digital world? Are we closer to the natural environment of the planet or are we disconnected from it? These are some of the questions I’ve tried to address in this photomontage which is made from five separate images.

You can purchase this print and other art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

International Street Photography (3)

January 16, 2022
On the phone in the street. Rome, 2018.
Naples c.1988
Afternoon sleep. Naples, 1988.
On the phone. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.
A baby taxi in Bangalore
A baby taxi in Bangalore, India 2008.
Bangladesh 2008
Man on a phone in a rickshaw. Bangladesh 2008.
New York 2005
Man leaving his car. New York 2005.
Newham c.1988
Newham. East London 1988.
Children. Barcelona 2015.
Children. Barcelona 2005
Marrakech 2005
Cyclist. Marrakech 2005.
family
Passing a shop in Brick Lane. East London, 1984.

You can purchase prints and art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/products

Around Liverpool (29)

January 15, 2022
By St Georges Hall, Liverpool 2016
By St Georges Hall. Liverpool 2016
Picton Road 2016
Picton Road. Liverpool 2016.
Williamson square. Liverpool 2016.
Williamson square. Liverpool 2016.
Liverpool City Centre 2015
Liverpool City Centre, 2015.
Liverpool Women's hospital, 2016.
Liverpool Women’s hospital, 2016.
City Centre, Liverpool 2016
City Centre, Liverpool 2016.
Liverpool c.1979
Liverpool through a broken window, 1979.
Windows in the Philharmonic bar. Liverpool, January 2018.
Windows in the Philharmonic bar. Liverpool, January 2018.
On the 79 bus in Wavertree. Liverpool, December 2018.
Taking a break on Dale Street. Liverpool 2019.

You can purchase prints and art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/

London In A Rice Field

January 14, 2022
London in a rice field. Photomontage.
London in a rice field. Photomontage.

During the 19th century London grew rapidly. It was the largest city in the world from about 1825, the world’s largest port, and the heart of international finance and trade. Nevertheless Whitechapel was still quite rural at the start of the 19th century. Early engravings and paintings of the Whitechapel hospital show it surrounded by fields. Viewing those images and taking into account how London has depended on immigration I decided to combine an image from Bangladesh with a view of the city taken from a tower block in Whitechapel. I started combining images from different countries in 2009. I do this to emphasise how humanity is connected worldwide. The links between Bangladesh and East London are manifold.

You can purchase prints and art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/

Around Liverpool (28)

January 3, 2022
Shopping. Liverpool, September 2017
Cyclist. Liverpool, September 2017.
Liverpool One. Liverpool, September 2017.
Posing for the camera. Liverpool 1979.
Resting. Liverpool, September 2017.
Williamson Square. Liverpool, September 2017.

You can purchase prints and art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/

Ecocide

January 2, 2022
‘Ecocide’. Print.

This piece was made during the COP26 negotiations last year. It combines three photographs of a man wearing a mask walking toward the viewer with a coal powered power station in the distance. The garish colours represent a bleak and desolate landscape.

The UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow (COP26) brought together 120 world leaders and over 40,000 registered participants, including 22,274 party delegates, 14.124 observers and 3.886 media representatives. Many of the registered participants represented the global interests of oil and fossil fuel companies and their shareholders.

“The approved texts are a compromise,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres. “They reflect the interests, the conditions, the contradictions and the state of political will in the world today. They take important steps, but unfortunately the collective political will was not enough to overcome some deep contradictions.”

The title was inspired by the excellent book ‘Ecocide’ by David Whyte. In it he argues that we have to “kill the corporation before it kills us”. He maps out a plan to end the corporation’s death-watch over us.

You can buy ‘Ecoside’ and other work by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/product/ecocide

Around The East End (21)

December 29, 2021
Portrait on Hanbury Street. East London, 2009.
Smiles on HanburyStreet. East London, 2009.
Canary Wharf. East London 1990.
Canary Wharf 1999
Canary Wharf. East London 1999.
Brick Lane. East London, 2010.
Smoke break on Brick Lane. East London, 2011.
Having a smoke and phone break on Vallance Road. East London 2018.
Shopping on Brick Lane. East London, 2008.
Junction of Hanbury Street & Commercial Street. East London, 2018.

You can buy prints and original art by Phil Maxwell here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/

Mobile Discobolus & Digital Wellbeing

December 27, 2021
‘Discobolus Mobile’ after Myron. 2021. Print.

I remember first seeing a photograph of the statue of the discus thrower in a book in 1971 and unsurprisingly the image has remained with me ever since.

The The Discobolus of Myron (“discus thrower“, Greek: Diskobólos) is a Greek sculpture completed at the start of the Classical period at around 460–450 BC. The sculpture depicts a youthful male athlete throwing a discus. The original Greek bronze is lost but the work is known through numerous Roman copies.

The athlete depicted in the statue would not be familiar with the concept of ‘digital wellbeing’. I’ve transposed the athlete into the 21st century and replaced the discuss with a mobile phone and given him headphones. The statue is no longer a celebration of athleticism. It asks who are we today and how different are we from the ancient Greeks? What would the ancient Greeks think of 21st century, consumerism and digital communication? Would they consider our pervasive digital connection to the world a false reality? Would they see a mobile phone and it’s demand for attention as a threat to genuine communication between people? Would they throw the phone away?

Buy a signed print here: https://theartofresistance.bigcartel.com/product/mobile-discobolus

International Street Photography (2)

November 23, 2021
Rickshaw, Bangladesh 1994
Rickshaw driver. Bangladesh 1994.
Cyclist. Barcelona 2017.
Berry Street, Liverpool 2014
Berry Street, Liverpool 2014.
Chennai India 2007
Chennai, India 2007.
Night time street scene. Melaka, Malaysia 2017.
Night time street scene. Melaka, Malaysia 2017.
Motor cyclist. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.
A crowd at Paris Pride, 2004.
New York 2005
Man with a supermarket trolley. New York 2005.
St Johns shopping centre. Liverpool, June 22nd 2019.
Boys on a bike in Marakech
Boys on a bike in Old Town Marakech, 2005.

Here is the latest film I’ve made with Hazuan Hashim:

International Street Photography

November 3, 2021
Street scene. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.
Woman with a basket. Barcelona 2015.
Woman with a basket. Barcelona 2015.
Berlin 2002
Berlin 2002
Embrace. Melaka, Malaysia 2017.
Embrace. Melaka, Malaysia 2017.
Berlin 2002
Berlin 2002
Street scene. Hanoi 2019.
Crossing the road. New York 2005.
Crossing the road. New York 2005.
Crossing Commercial Street. East London 2018.
Passing the Co-op. Wolverhampton 2017.
Passing the Co-op. Wolverhampton 2017.
Newspaper seller, Bishopsgate 1989.

View the latest programme I’ve made with Hazuan Hashim here:

Around Liverpool (27)

October 20, 2021
Wearing headphones on Renshaw Street. Liverpool, Septemeber 2021.
Wearing headphones in Whitechapel. Liverpool, July 25th 2018.
Cyclist in Liverpool 1. Liverpool, Septemeber 2021.
woolen hat
Man on a bike in town. Liverpool, April 2018.
On the phone. Liverpool, Septemeber 2021.
Pub in Lodge Lane. Liverpool, 1980.
On the phone in Hanover Street. Liverpool, Septemeber 2021.
On the phone outside St Johns shopping centre. Liverpool, June 22nd 2019.
School Lane. Liverpool, Septemeber 2021.
Outside a pub in Ranelagh Street. Liverpool, Septemeber 2021.

View the latest programme I’ve made with Hazuan Hashim here:

Around Liverpool (26)

July 13, 2021
Liverpool Pride 2016
Liverpool Pride 2016.
Behing the bar in the Post House. Liverpool 2019.
Having a drink at the bar in the Post House. Liverpool 2019.
Shopping on Smithdown Road. Liverpool 2019.
Pedestrians on Dale Street. Liverpool 2019.
Chimneys in Wavertree. Liverpool, August 24th 2018.
Taking a break on Dale Street. Liverpool 2019.
Cyclist on County Road. Liverpool August 2018.
Fruit & Veg stall opposite Central Station. Liverpool, August 22nd 2018.
Old Swan. Liverpool, November 2017.
Trump
Poster in Dale Street. Liverpool, December 2017.
Smithdown Road c.1978
Smithdown Road. Liverpool 1978.

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Around Liverpool (25)

On The Move In Liverpool

On The Bus In Liverpool (11)

Yesterday In Liverpool (4)

My latest programme for MPATV, produced by Hazuan Hashim. You can support MPATV by donation here: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=7RMMX47QZVR72

Smoking

July 4, 2021

The focal point of this print is a cigarette seller I photographed in Java. He is flanked to his right by a couple photographed on Brick Lane; the man is rolling himself a cigarette. On his left is a woman photographed using her phone and having a smoke outside Shoreditch station.

‘Smoking’. Giclee print 2021.

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Smoking (3)

Smoking And Reading In Liverpool Street Station

My latest programme for MPATV, produced by Hazuan Hashim. You can support MPATV by donation here: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=7RMMX47QZVR72

On The Road

June 21, 2021

These images were printed on old road atlas paper. They examine issues of time place and mortality.

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Spitalfields Rooftops

Photograms (4)

Abstract Rhythms, Ancient & Modern

My latest programme for MPATV, produced by Hazuan Hashim. You can support MPATV by donation here: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=7RMMX47QZVR72

Outside & Inside The Golden Heart

June 15, 2021

Here are some photos of the last time I was in the Golden Heart pub, in September 2019. I’m looking forward to my next visit!

The Golden Heart, Spitalfields 2019.
The Golden Heart, Spitalfields 2019.
The Golden Heart, Spitalfields 2019.
The Golden Heart, Spitalfields 2019.
The Golden Heart, Spitalfields 2019.
The Golden Heart, Spitalfields 2019.
The Golden Heart, Spitalfields 2019.
The Golden Heart, Spitalfields 2019.
The Golden Heart, Spitalfields 2019.
The Golden Heart, Spitalfields 2019.
The Golden Heart, Spitalfields 2019.

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The Golden Heart Pub Spitalfields

Sandra Of The Golden Heart

Sandra (30 minute film)

The Golden Heart Pub Spitalfields

Rose At The Golden Heart

Phil Maxwell & Sandra Esqulant, Photographer & Muse

My latest programme for MPATV, produced by Hazuan Hashim. You can support MPATV by donation here: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=7RMMX47QZVR72

Rickshaw On The Underground

June 14, 2021

This image explores time, place and globalisation. It combines a photograph of a Rickshaw driver and his passengers taken in Bangladesh and a desolate underground station in London.

Rickshaw on the underground. Giclee print, 2021.

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Rickshaws In Bangladesh

Around Liverpool (24)

The River Thames & Bangladesh

My latest programme for MPATV, produced by Hazuan Hashim. You can support MPATV by donation here: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=7RMMX47QZVR72

They Shall Not Pass

June 11, 2021

This collage on canvas has a starting point from a page of a calender I was commisioned to make using my photographs in 1999. The page used features a photograph taken in 1994 of an anti-racist demo in East London in 1994. Elements from the image are then repeated in positive and negative form. The words ‘They Shall Not Pass’ are made from a banner that was made for the 50th anniversary of the Battle Of Cable Street in English and Bengali.

‘They Shall Not Pass’. Mixed media on canvas.
‘They Shall Not Pass’ (detail). Mixed media on canvas.
‘They Shall Not Pass’ (detail). Mixed media on canvas.
‘They Shall Not Pass’ (detail). Mixed media on canvas.
‘They Shall Not Pass’ (detail). Mixed media on canvas.
‘They Shall Not Pass’ (detail). Mixed media on canvas.
‘They Shall Not Pass’ (detail). Mixed media on canvas.

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The Faces Of The Battle Of Cable Street (2)

‘They Did Not Pass. 80th Anniversary Of The Battle Of Cable Street’

‘Banners Of The Battle Of Cable Street’

My latest programme for MPATV, produced by Hazuan Hashim. You can support MPATV by donation here: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=7RMMX47QZVR72

Around The East End (20)

June 10, 2021
Brick Lane betting shop. East London 1983.
Outside a betting shop in Whitechapel market. East London 2004.
Looking out of a window in Bishopsgate. East London 1986.

Passing a cafe on Brick Lane. East London 2019.
Chicksand Estate. East London, 1984.
The Chicksand Estate
The Chicksand Estate with the City in the distance. East London 1985.
Passing the chemist on Whitechapel Road. East London 1990.
Whitechapel Road. East London 2004.
Boy on a bike, Cheshire Street. East London, 1990.
Woman on bike. Whitechapel, London 2015.
Whitechapel. East London 2015.

You may also like:

Cheshire Street East London 2017

On Brick Lane In 1983

Around The East End (15)

My latest programme for MPATV, produced by Hazuan Hashim. You can support MPATV by donation here: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=7RMMX47QZVR72

Abstract

June 1, 2021
Untitled. Mixed media. Giclee Print, 2021.

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Abstract Rhythms, Ancient & Modern

Spitalfields Rooftops

Photograms (4)

My latest programme for MPATV, produced by Hazuan Hashim. You can support MPATV by donation here: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=7RMMX47QZVR72

Catastrophic Antartica Meltdown

May 27, 2021

Antarctica is headed for a climate tipping point by 2060, with catastrophic melting if carbon emissions aren’t cut quickly. The idea that some kind of new technology in the future will save the planet from the impact of climate change is a pipe dream. This work is based on photographs of several trees in Liverpool collaged together with the addition of numbered buttons photographed from a derelict cash machine in the same city.

‘Tippimg Point’. Giclee print 2020.

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Liverpool Climate Strike 2019

Climate Change & Bangladesh

The Art Of Resistance

International Women’s Day

Liverpool Proud City Of Protest

My latest programme for MPATV, produced by Hazuan Hashim. You can support MPATV by donation here: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=7RMMX47QZVR72

Around Liverpool (25)

May 26, 2021

These photographs were taken in November 2019.

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Yesterday In Liverpool (14)

On The Bus In Liverpool (12)

Liverpool June 2018

Liverpool Old & New (8)

Liverpool May 2018 (4)

My latest programme for MPATV, produced by Hazuan Hashim.

You can support MPATV by donation here: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=7RMMX47QZVR72

On Brick Lane

May 25, 2021

The piece below was based on a photograph I took of the subject in 1983 on Brick Lane. She was one of those ‘characters’ who brightened up the streets of Whitechapel with her perpetual smile. She seemed to be living in a world of her own and could often be seen talking to herself.

‘Brick Lane 1983’. Giclee print 2021.

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Brick Lane Portraits

Around The East End

Vallance Road 1983 – 2015

MELA Hanbury Street 1984

My latest programme for MPATV, produced by Hazuan Hashim.

You can support MPATV by donation here: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=7RMMX47QZVR72

Whitechapel Station

May 21, 2021

The piece below was based on a photograph I took of the subject in 1982. He was a common site around whitechapel in the early 1980s. He could often be seen standing up and seemingly asleep in a corner of the entrance to Whitechapel station. I was always impressed by his stoicism and dignity.

‘Whitechapel Station’. Giclee print 2021.

You may also be interested in:

A Cup Of Tea In Cheshire Street

Brick Lane Portraits

The Art Of Collage (5)

Whitechapel Station 1983 – 2018

My latest programme for MPATV, produced by Hazuan Hashim.

You can support MPATV by donation here: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=7RMMX47QZVR72

Palestinian Flags Flood Liverpool

May 16, 2021

Yesterday hundreds of protesters took to the streets to show solidarity with the Palestinian people. Yesterday was also the anniversary of the ‘Nakba’ (Arabic for ‘catastrophe’), when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forcibly removed from their homes and land to make room for the creation of the new nation of Israel.

The protest was organised by Merseyside Stop The War and supported by Liverpool Friends Of Palestine, Liverpool Trades Council, Merseyside BLM alliance and Merseyside Pensioners Association.

Since the Conservative government was elected in May 2015 the UK has licensed over £400 million worth of arms to Israeli forces. The actual level of exports will be significantly higher, as there have also been 43 Open Licences in this period. The arms industry is corrupt and unstable but the government subsidises it. This means we as tax payers are conscripted into supporting the merchants of death that have visited so much misery on the Palestinians for decades.

The speakers at the rally called for an end to oppressive actions of the Israeli apartheid state and condemned the mainstream media for it’s bias against Palestinians.

Yesterday a block in Gaza destroyed by the Israeli air strike also housed the offices of the Associated Press (AP) news agency. Here’s a statement from its president and CEO, Gary Pruitt:

” We are shocked and horrified that the Israeli military would target and destroy the building housing AP’s bureau and other news organizations in Gaza. They have long known the location of our bureau and knew journalists were there. We received a warning that the building would be hit.

This is an incredibly disturbing development. We narrowly avoided a terrible loss of life. A dozen AP journalists and freelancers were inside the building and thankfully we were able to evacuate them in time.

The world will know less about what is happening in Gaza because of what happened today.”

One Liverpool MP, Ian Byrne spoke at the rally and called for an end to arm sales to Israel. Kim Johnson MP sent a message of solidarity.

Support for Palestine, Liverpool May 15th 2021.
Support for Palestine, Liverpool May 15th 2021.
Save Gaza, Liverpool May 15th 2021.
Free Palestine, Liverpool May 15th 2021.
Free Palestine, Liverpool May 15th 2021.
Free Palestine, Liverpool May 15th 2021.
Free Palestine, Liverpool May 15th 2021.
Free Palestine, Liverpool May 15th 2021.
Ian Byrne MP called for an end to arm sales to Israel. Liverpool May 15th 2021.
Free Palestine, Liverpool May 15th 2021.
Free Palestine, Liverpool May 15th 2021.
Free Palestine, Liverpool May 15th 2021.
Free Palestine, Liverpool May 15th 2021.

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Fighting Racism In 1994

International Women’s Day 2021

Liverpool Climate Strike

Poll Tax: 25th Anniversary

My latest programme for MPATV, produced by Hazuan Hashim.

You can support MPATV by donation here: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=7RMMX47QZVR72

The Scream

May 14, 2021

I’ve always been drawn to the light produced by candles. The portrait below of Hazuan Hashim was made with two images shot in candle light.

‘The scream’. Giclee print, 2021.

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A Cup Of Tea In Cheshire Street

Spitalfields Roof Tops

Aldgate East

The Art Of Self Isolation (39)

Around Liverpool (24)

May 4, 2021
The Richmond pub. Liverpool 2019.
Barman in Peter Kavanagh’s pub in Egerton Street. Liverpool, September 2018.
On the phone in Wavertree High Street. Liverpool 2019.
On the phone in the Grapes pub in Roscoe Street. Liverpool, January 2019.
On the phone in Hope Street. Liverpool 2019.
Sculpture in North Liverpool, 2019.
Trees and a blue sky in Wavertree park. Liverpool, December 24th 2018.
Outside a pub on Hanover Street. Liverpool 2019.
Irish music night in The Edinburgh pub, Sandown Lane. Liverpool, May 2019.
Hardman Street. Liverpool 2019.
Hardman Street. Liverpool 2019.

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On The Waterfront In Liverpool

Yesterday In Liverpool (14)

On The Bus In Liverpool (10)

Liverpool June 2018

My latest programme for MPATV, produced by Hazuan Hashim.

Berlin (2)

April 29, 2021
Berlin at night, 2019.
Under a bridge. Berlin 2019.
On the phone. Berlin 2019.
Window shopping. Berlin 2019.
Berlin 2019.
Berlin at night, 2019.
Drinking beer. Berlin 2019.
Entering the underground. Berlin 2019.
Passengers on the underground. Berlin 2019.

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Jewish Museum Berlin

Liverpool & Berlin

Ai Weiwei In Berlin (3)

A walk around Berlin (2)

A Cup Of Tea In Cheshire Street

April 25, 2021

The work below is based on a photograph I took in a cafe in Cheshire Street, East London in the 1980s. The subject was eating a plate of chips during the Sunday afternoon Brick Lane market. I would photograph the market regularly most Sundays and would often take a break for a cup of tea. The cafe was always full of interesting characters. In those day you could get a cup of tea for 20p.

Untitled. Mixed media on card, 2021.

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Cheshire Street Cafe

Whitechapel 1983 – 2016

Down The Roman Road

Around Liverpool (23)

April 22, 2021
Williamson square. Liverpool 2016.
Williamson square. Liverpool 2016.
Church sign at St Bridget and St. Thomas, Wavertree. Liverpool 2017.
Church sign at St Bridget and St. Thomas, Wavertree. Liverpool 2017.
Lawrence Road. Liverpool 2016.
Lawrence Road. Liverpool 2016.
Smithdown Road c.1978
Smithdown Road. Liverpool 1978.
Don’t Buy The *** on Wavertree High Street. Liverpool, September 2019.
City Centre, Liverpool 2016
City Centre, Liverpool 2016.
Liverpool Cathedral 2015
Stained glass in Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, 2015.
Old Swan. Liverpool, November 2017.
Distant view of the metropolitan cathedral. Liverpool, 1977.
'I, Daniel Blake". Liverpool May 2017.
‘I, Daniel Blake”. Liverpool May Day demonstration, 2017.

You may also like:

On The Waterfront In Liverpool

Save Oglet Shore In Liverpool

Wonderful Liverpool Parks

Spitalfields Rooftops

April 21, 2021

This image is based on a photograph I took on the roof of some flats in Hanbury Street near to Brick Lane in the early 1980s. Since then the view has changed considerably with the encroachment of City offices into the area.

‘Spitalfields Roof Tops’. Mixed media 2021.

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Christ Church Spitalfields

The Art Of Collage (5)

Photograms (4)

Brick Lane Portraits

April 19, 2021

The collage below is made from two pages torn from my book ‘Brick Lane’. During the lockdown I was self isolating and unable to indulge my passion for street photography. I found myself digging into my archive, revisiting images and experimenting with collage. I’ve been collaging since the 1970s but lately it’s become a major feature of my practice. I remember getting annoyed with picture editors when they cropped my photographs back in the 1980s. Now I’m tearing images up, painting over them and altering them in many different ways. It’s been quite a journey!

Brick Lane portraits. Mixed media 2021.

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Collage From A Photograph (6)

The Art Of Collage (5)

Art Work

Around Liverpool (22)

April 8, 2021
Mount Pleasant. Liverpool 2019.
Picton Road. Liverpool 2019.
Mount Pleasant. Liverpool 2019.
Brownlow Hill. Liverpool 2019.
Lime Street Station. Liverpool 2019.
Picton Road. Liverpool 2019.
The Mystery park, Wavertree. Liverpool 2019.
On the phone in Lawrence Road. Liverpool 2019.
Wearing Headphones on Smithdown Road. Liverpool 2019.
Cyclist on Smithdown Road. Liverpool 2019.

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Around Liverpool (21)

Liverpool Old & New

Old Swan Liverpool

Around The East End (20)

March 29, 2021
Whitechapel market. East London 2018.
Pushing a trolley. Commercial Street. East London 2017.
Pushing a trolley. Commercial Street. East London 2017.
Cannon Street Road. East London 2018.
Brick Lane c.1983
Having a rest on Brick Lane. East London 1983.
Cannon Street Road. East London 2018.
Shaking hands. New Road, Whitechapel London c.1985
Shaking hands on Cannon Street Road. East London 1985.
Cannon Street Road. East London 2018.
Children on the steps of their squat, Poplar 1983
Children on the steps of their squat in Poplar. East London 1983.
Cannon Street Road. East London 2018.
Man with a pram, Toynbee street 1988
Man with a pram, Toynbee street. East London 1988.
Commercial Road. East London 2018.
Looking up in Commercial Road. East London 2005.
Looking up in Commercial Road. East London 2005.
On the phone on Commercial Road. East London 2018.
On the phone on Brick Lane. East London, 2019.

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Underground

Whitechapel Station 1983-2018

Bishopsgate – Old & New

The statue of Menkaure and Queen Khamerernebty II

March 20, 2021
Pharaoh Menkawara & his wife re-imagined. Giclee print. 2021.

The serene Egyptian statue of Menkaure and Queen Khamerernebty II was unearthed on January 18, 1910 and is the inspiration for the above work. A sense of eternity and immortality flows from the statue so I decided to incorporate electric pylons and a Moroccan woman on her phone into the composition. The nearly life size statue dates from 2490–2472 B.C.E.

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Imagine A World Without Mobile Phones

Ai Weiwei in Berlin

Inside A Greek Garden (2)

Around The East End (19)

March 19, 2021
Conversation outside Whitechapel station. East London 2003.
Whitechapel High Street. East London 2018.
Brick Lane. East London 2018.
Brick Lane 2003
‘No more war’. Brick Lane, East London 2003.
Brick Lane. East London 2018.
Brick Lane. East London 2018.
Brick Lane. East London 2018.
Selling tools. Warehouse in Cheshire Street. East London 2017.
Selling tools. Warehouse in Cheshire Street. East London 2017.
Cheshire Street. East London 2018.
Coffee bar. Cheshire Street. East London 1984.
Coffee bar. Cheshire Street. East London 1984.
Cheshire Street. East London 2018.

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Cheshire Street East London 2017

On Brick Lane In 1983

Around The East End (15)

Around The East End (18)

March 14, 2021
Cambridge Heath Road. East London, 2016.
Cambridge Heath Road. East London, 2016.
Bethnal Green Road. East London, 2016.
Bethnal Green Road. East London, 2016.
Brick Lane. East London, 2016.
Brick Lane. East London, 2016.
Brick Lane. East London, 2016.
Brick Lane. East London, 2016.

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Around The East End (17)

The Changing East End (18)

The Changing East End (37)

On The Wall In Brick Lane in 2002

Mela Hanbury Street 1984

Working In Whitechapel Market

Aldgate East

February 26, 2021
‘Aldgate East Underground station’. Mixed media on card.

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Underground

The Art Of Self Isolation (39)

Around Liverpool (21)

February 21, 2021
Liverpool c.1980
Boy on a bike in Toxteth. Liverpool, 1980.
Woman with a fur hat. Liverpool 2016
Woman with a fur hat on Bold Street. Liverpool, 2016.
Cyclist on County Road. Liverpool August 2018.
shorts
Cyclist on Wavertree road. Liverpool, July 2018.
On the 79 bus in Wavertree. Liverpool, December 2018.
hood
On the bus in Picton Road. Liverpool March 2018.
Fruit and veg stall opposite Central Station. Liverpool, August 2018.
The river Mersey. Liverpool 2018.
Man with his dogs under the bridge on Wellington Road. Liverpool, December 29th 2018.
Man walking towards Lawrence Road. Lawrence road. Liverpool, December 29th 2018.
Having a rest in Lord Street. Liverpool, December 2018.

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Liverpool September 2019

Liverpool Old & New

Old Swan Liverpool

Joan Lauder – Cat Lady Of Spitalfields

February 20, 2021

The art work below is based on a photograph I took of Joan Lauder – known as ‘the cat lady of Spitalfields’ – in the early 1980s on Brick Lane.

‘Joan Lauder – cat lady of Spitalfields’. Mixed Media on card, 2021.

You can find out more about Joan in the Spitalfields Life post here:

Joan Lauder, Cat Lady Of Spitalfields

Around Liverpool (20)

February 10, 2021
Liverpool. November 2019.
Cleaner in Lime Street station. Liverpool, November 2019.
Shopping in Smithdown Road. Liverpool, November 2019.
Lime Street. Liverpool, November 2019.
Shopping in Smithdown Road. Liverpool, November 2019.
Autumn leaves in Wavertree Park. Liverpool, November 2019.
Wearing headphones in Hope Street. Liverpool, November 2019.
On the phone on Brownlow Hill. Liverpool, November 2019.
Newspaper seller on London Road. Liverpool, November 2019.
On the phone in Lime Street station. Liverpool, November 2019.
Wavertree High Street. Liverpool, November 2019.

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Liverpool January 2019 (6)

On The Bus In Liverpool (5)

On the Bus In Liverpool (9)

May Day In Liverpool 2018

Around Liverpool (19)

February 9, 2021
Wellington Road. Liverpool,December 2019.
An empty street
An empty street, Toxteth. Liverpool, 1981
Grocery store on Lawrence Road. Liverpool, December 2019.
Till money
Shopping in Lawrence Road. Liverpool, December 2017.
On the 79 bus. Liverpool, December 2019.
Getting off the 79d bus on Picton Road. Liverpool, November 2018.
Wavertree High Street. Liverpool,December 2019.
rain
On a bike in Whitechapel. Liverpool, september 2018.
Wavertree High Street. Liverpool, December 2019.
The ‘Mystery Park’ in Wavertree. Liverpool, December 2019.

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On The Bus In Liverpool (15)

Yesterday In Liverpool (9)

George Pub Liverpool

Liverpool Irish Music Session

Around The East End (17)

February 2, 2021
On the phone on the Roman Road. East London 2019.
On the phone on the Roman Road. East London 2004.
Musician on Bethnal Green Road. East London 2019.
Music at the Rich Mix. Bethnal Green Road. East London 2010.
Music at the Rich Mix. Bethnal Green Road. East London 2010.
Shopping on the Roman Road. East London 2019.
Photographer on the Roman Road. East London 2019.
Roman Road. East London 2010.
Roman Road. East London 2010.
Conversation on the Roman Road. East London 2019.
Woman with a shopping trolley. Roman Road. East London 2010.
Woman with a shopping trolley. Roman Road. East London 2010.
Conversation on the Roman Road. East London 2019.

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Down The Roman Road

The Changing East End (18)

On The Bus In Bangladesh & East London

Watney Market In East London (4)

Vallance Road 1984 – 2017

February 1, 2021
Woman with pram on Vallance Road. London 1986
Woman with pram on Vallance Road. East London 1986.
Vallance Road 2014
Vallance Road, East London 2014.
Vallance Road 2014
Boy with shopping on Vallance Road. East London 2014.
Vallance Road. East London, 2004.
Man on a bike. Vallance Road 2017.
Man on a bike. Vallance Road 2017.
View from a window in Vallance Road. Spitalfields December 2017.
View from a window in Vallance Road. Spitalfields December 2017.
Car boot sale. Vallance Road Whitechapel, 1984
Car boot sale off Vallance Road. East London 1984.
Vallance Road c.1988
Vallance Road. East London 1988.
Vallance Road c.1989
Young cyclists on Vallance Road. East London, 1989.
Vallance Road 2014
Vallance Road. East London, 2014.

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Hanbury Street 1984 – 2018

Down The Roman Road

The Changing East End (37)

East End February 2019

Sleep

January 30, 2021
‘Sleep’ Portrait of Hazuan Hashim. Mixed media on card, 2020.

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Pandemic Portrait

The Art Of Self Isolation (37)

The Last Two Trees In New York

Around The East End (16)

January 29, 2021
Brick Lane c.1983
Brick Lane. East London 1983.
Running in Commercial Street. East London, December 2017.
Conversation, Hanbury Street 1991
Conversation, Hanbury Street. East London 1991.
Crossing Commercial Street. East London 2018.
Bus Stop, Stepney c. 1992
Bus Stop in Stepney. East London 1992.
begging homeless
Commercial Street. East London, April 2018.
Homeless in Whitechapel. East London 2017.
Homeless in Whitechapel. East London 2017.
Cyclist on Commercial Street. East London, February 2019.
Brick Lane c.1983
Young BMX cyclists on Brick Lane. East London 1982.
Commercial Street. East London, March 2010.
Commercial Street. East London, March 2010.

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Whitechapel Market 1984 – 2006

The Changing East End (36)

Watney Market East London

Cheshire Street In 1984

Around The East End (15)

January 24, 2021
Waiting for a bus, Mile End Road c.1990
Waiting for a bus on Mile End Road. East London 1990.
On the number 15 bus. East London, August 2018.
Reading on Mile End Road. East London, August 2018.
Reading on Brick Lane. East London 2009.
Getting cash in Mile End East London, August 2018.
Cash machine. Whitechapel High Road. East London 2017.
Cash machine. Whitechapel High Road. East London 2017.
On the phone in Stepney. East London, August 2018.
On the phone in Osborn Street. East London 2003.
On the phone at Stepney Green Station. East London, August 2018.
Underground c.1983
On the underground between Aldgate East & Whitechapel, 1983.

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Hanbury Street 1984 – 2018

The Changing East End (37)

Vallance Road 1983 – 2015

MELA Hanbury Street 1984

Around The East End (14)

January 23, 2021
Hanbury Street at 1am. East London, August 2018.
Brick Lane c.1992
‘Black & White Unite’. Brick Lane, East London 1992.
Shopping in Whitechapel market. East London, August 2018.
Whitechapel Road c.1993
Whitechapel Road c.1993
Bethnal Green Road from the number 8 bus. East London, August 2018.
Bethnal Green Road c.1988
Bethnal Green Road c.1988
Motorcyclist and cyclist on Brick Lane. East London, August 2018.
Conversation on Brick Lane. East London, August 2018.
Brick Lane. East London, August 2018.
Wearing headphones on Brick Lane. East London, August 2018.

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Around The East End (13)

Vallance Road In The East End

The Changing East End (18)

Berlin

January 19, 2021
Berlin. Mixed media on card, 2020.

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Jewish Museum Berlin

Liverpool & Berlin

Ai Weiwei In Berlin (3)

A walk around Berlin (2)

Hanoi Vietnam (13)

January 18, 2021
Motor cyclist. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.
Rickshaw driver. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.
On the phone. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.
Street scene. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.
Motor cyclist. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.
Motor cyclist carrying beer. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.
Dinner. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.
Cat next to a calculator. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.
Street scene. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.
Street scene. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.
Hawker. Hanoi, Vietnam 2019.

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Hanoi Vietnam 12

On The Road In Vietnam

On The Road In Bangladesh

Historic Melaka

Barcelona (4)

January 3, 2021
Inside the museum of contemporary art. Barcelona 2017.
Skateboarder. Barcelona 2017.
Cyclist. Barcelona 2017.
Woman with her dog. Barcelona 2017.
Street scene. Barcelona 2017.
Street scene. Barcelona 2017.
Smoking. Barcelona 2017.
Street scene. Barcelona 2017.
Street scene. Barcelona 2017.
Holding hands. Barcelona 2017.

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Barcelona (3)

Barcelona In The Evening

Skateboarding In Barcelona

On The Street & Roof In Barcelona

Liverpool & Berlin

Brick Lane Art (6)

December 26, 2020
‘Brick Lane’. Mixed media on card, 2020.

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Brick Lane Art (5)

Photograms (2)

Documentary about the East End

Next To The Beigal Shop Brick Lane

December 19, 2020
‘Next to the Beigal shop Brick Lane.’ Mixed media, 2020.

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The Last Two Trees In New York

The Art Of Self Isolation

Brick Lane Art (4)

Around The East End (13)

December 18, 2020
Man with trolley, Brick Lane London C.1984
Market trader, Brick Lane. East London 1984.
On the move in Brick Lane. East London 2018.
On the phone in Hanbury Street. East London 2018.
Hanbury Street c.1989
Hanbury Street. East London, 1989.
Smoking in Hanbury Street. East London 2018.
On the phone in Hanbury Street. East London 2018.
On a scooter in Bishopsgate. East London 2018.
Plugged in on a scooter on Bethnal Green Road. East London, January 2019.
On the phone in Bishopsgate. East London 2018.
Newspaper seller, Bishopsgate 1989.

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East End 2004 – 2019.

Vallance Road In The East End

The Changing East End (18)

Around The East End (12)

December 17, 2020
View of Spitafields market from Hanbury Street. East London 2004.
Spitalfields Market 1989
Spitalfields Market. East London 1990.
Whitechapel Road. East London 2004.
Roman Road. East London 2004.
Waiting at a bus stop on Cambridge Heath Road. East London, September 2019.
Getting on the bus in Commercial Street. East London 2005.
Outside Whitechapel Station. East London 2005.
Whitechapel Station c.1984
Conversation outside Whitechapel Station. East London 1984.
Bethnal Green Road. East London 2005.
Posters and graffiti on the wall in Bethnal green Road. East London 2019.
Bethnal Green Road. East London 2005.
Columbia Road Flower Market. East London 2005.
Columbia Road Market, London 2005
Columbia Road Market. East London 2005.

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Working In Whitechapel Market

Down The Roman Road

East End February 2019

Around The East End (11)

December 15, 2020
An old hand cart in the Sunday Petticoat Lane market. East London 1982.
Middlesex Street. East London 2018.
Petticoat Lane c.1989
Petticoat Lane. East London 1989.
Braithwaite Street. East London 2018.
Two women, Petticoat Lane - 1
Conversation in Petticoat Lane. East London 1985.
Smoking on Middlesex Street. East London 2018.
On the phone in Middlesex Street. East London 2018.
Spitalfields market. East London 2018.
Spitalfields market, Commercial Street, London 1983
Salvaging vegetables at Spitalfields market, Commercial Street. East London 1983.
Spitalfields market. East London 2018.
Broadgate c.1987
Homeless in Broadgate. London 1987.
Homeless in Broadgate. London 2018.

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Around The East End 10

Whitechapel Market 1984 – 2015

Vallance Road 1983 – 2015

The City From Whitechapel 1984 – 2017

Subterranean

December 11, 2020
Heading towards Whitechapel. London Underground 2018.
Underground c.1984
Reading. London underground 1984.
Euston Square. London Underground 2018.
Underground c.1986
Conversation. London Underground 1986.
Getting on and off. London Underground 2018.
Underground c.1994
Train entering a station. London underground 1994.
Getting on and off. London Underground 2018.
Underground 1999
Escalator. London Underground 1999.
Reading. London Underground 2018.
Underground feet. London Underground 2018.
Leaving the train at Whitechapel. London Underground 2018.

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Phil Maxwell On The Tube

Around Liverpool (18)

December 4, 2020
Liverpool Pride 2016
Window view. Liverpool Pride 2016.
Getting on a bus. Smithdown Road. Liverpool 2016.
Getting on a bus. Smithdown Road. Liverpool 2016.
Picton Road. Liverpool 2017.
Picton Road. Liverpool 2017.
Picton Road. Liverpool, January 2020.
Woman with sun glasses on a bus. Liverpool 2016
Woman with sun glasses on a bus. Liverpool 2016.
Walking & eating. Liverpool 2016
Liverpool 2016
The Mystery park. Liverpool, December 2017.
Williamson square. Liverpool 2016.
Williamson square. Liverpool 2016.
Busker playing a violin in town. Liverpool, December 2018.
Fallen leaves in Wavertree. Liverpool, December 2019.

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On The Bus In Liverpool (15)

Yesterday In Liverpool (9)

Best Of August 2018

The Last Two Trees In New York

November 30, 2020
‘The last two trees in New York’. Mixed media on card.

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The Art Of Trees

Liverpool Climate Strike

The Wonder Of Trees

The Art Of Collage (5)

Around The East End (10)

November 24, 2020
Pushing goods on Whitechapel market
Moving goods on Whitechapel market. East London. 1998.
Helicopter view of the Isle of Dogs taken around 1988.
Passing new (unaffordable) homes on the Isle Of Dogs. East London 1986.
Underground between Aldgate East and Whitechapel Stations. East London, 2014.
Going East on the underground. East London, January 2019.
Woman with a shopping trolley on Whitechapel Road, 1983.
Woman with a shopping trolley on Vallance Road. East London, 1989.
The Oxford Arms (now demolished) pub viewed from the old London Hospital, 2005.
Looking west from the roof of the old London Hospital, 2005.
Looking west from Whitechapel, 2002.
Outside the entrance to Whitechapel Station, 1989.
Whitechapel Fried Chicken, 2014.

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East End 1988 – 2017

Looking Back On Brick Lane

East End 2004 – 2019

The Art Of Self Isolation (39)

November 23, 2020
Untitled. Mixed media collage, October 2020.

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The Art Of Self Isolation (38)

Photograms (4)

Around East London (19)

November 18, 2020
Brick Lane Sunday market. East London, 2015.
Whitechapel c. 1988
Passing a van in Whitechapel. East London 1988.
Friends on Commercial Road. East London, 2002.
Commercial Road c.1991
Commercial Road. East London 1989.
Commercial Road. East London, 2002.
Empty bottles in a telephone kiosk on Brick Lane. East London, 2002.
Brick Lane pub c.1984
Brick Lane pub. East London 1984.
Trumans Brewery off Brick Lane. East London, 2002.
Brick Lane Market c.1987
Brick Lane Market. East London 1987.
Hanbury Street c.1984
Hanbury Street. East London, 1984.

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Around East London (18)

Down The Roman Road

Whitechapel Market 1984 – 2015

The Art Of Self Isolation (38)

November 14, 2020
‘Homeless in Whitechapel’. Mixed media on canvas, 2020.
‘Homeless in Whitechapel’ (detail). Mixed media on canvas, 2020.

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The Art Of Self Isolation (37)

Homeless In The UK

East End Streets Before Lock Down (7)

Brick Lane Art (4)

Midnight Portrait

November 8, 2020
‘Midnight Portrait’. Mixed media, October 2020.

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Pandemic Portrait

Herd Immunity

Around Liverpool (17)

November 3, 2020
Inside Ye Cracke is a pub in Rice Street off Hope Street. Liverpool, February 2020.
Conversation at the bar. The Dispensary pub, Renshaw Street. Liverpool, August 2019.
Conversation on Sandown Lane. Liverpool, February 2020.
bike
Cyclist on Wellington Road. Liverpool, May 2018.
Cyclist in the Mystery park. Liverpool, February 2020.
Sefton Park, c.1980
Sefton Park in the snow. Liverpool 1980.
Wavertree High Street. Cyclist in the Mystery park. Liverpool, February 2020.
Lodge Lane Liverpool c.1981
Pub in Lodge Lane. Liverpool, 1981.
Coversation on Myrtyle Street. Liverpool, February 2020.
Cyclist on Picton Road. Liverpool, February 2020.
The river Mersey. Liverpool, December 2018.

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Around Liverpool 16

On The Waterfront In Liverpool

Waiting For A Bus In Liverpool

In The Beginning

October 28, 2020
‘In the beginning’. Mixed media, October 2020.

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Listening

The Sound Of Music

Homeless

October 26, 2020
‘Homeless’. Mixed media on canvas, October 2020.
‘Homeless’. Mixed media on canvas (detail), October 2020.

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The Art Of Self Isolation (37)

Homeless In The UK

On The Bus In Liverpool (5)

Untitled

October 25, 2020
Untitled. Mixed media, October 2020.

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Collage From A Photograph (6)

Electric Blue

Brick Lane Art (4)

Around East London (18)

October 24, 2020
Cheshire Street c.1985
Cafe in Cheshire Street. East London, 1985.
Bethnal Green Road. East London, 2019.
Newspaper seller, Birdcage pub Columbia Rd 1987
Newspaper seller outside the Birdcage pub on Columbia Rd. East London 1987.
Bethnal Green Road. East London, 2019.
Looking west from Whitechapel 1980s.
Looking west towards the City from Whitechapel. East London 1983.
Passing the barbers on Roman Road. East London, 2019.
Cleaning up. Brick Lane. East London 1984.
Cleaning up. Brick Lane. East London 1984.
Market, Bethnal Green Road. East London, 1983.
On the number 8 bus on the Roman Road. East London, 2019.
leaves
Abandoned chair in Brick Lane. East London 1999.
Roman Road. East London, 2019.

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Around East London (17)

Down The Roman Road

Whitechapel Market 1984 – 2015

Around The East End 2010 (9)

A Drink In The Golden Heart Pub Spitalfields

Herd Immunity

October 23, 2020
‘Herd Immunity’. Mixed media on card, April 2020.

The government no longer uses the phrase ‘Her Immunity’. I wonder why?

You may also be interested in:

Politics Of Climate Change

Climate Change & Bangladesh

Around East London (17)

October 21, 2020
Petticoat Lane Market c.1990
Petticoat Lane Market. East London 1990.
Sunday market on Brick Lane. East London, 2003.
Sunday Market. Off Brick Lane, London c.2001
Sunday Market. Off Brick Lane, East London 1998.
Sclater Street Sunday market. East London 2003.
Underground c.1992
Underground. East London, 1992.
On the phone in Greatorex Street. East London 2008.
Shoppers on Bethnal Green Road, c. 1998
Shoppers on Bethnal Green Road. East London, 1998.
Outside a betting shop in Whitechapel market. East London 2004.
Two men converse. Bishopsgate Goods Yard. London 1998
Two men converse. Bishopsgate Goods Yard. London 1998
Brick Lane. East London, 2005.
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Around East London (16)

East End Markets

Down The Roman Road

East End February 2019

Watney Market East London

Pandemic Portrait

October 20, 2020
Portrait of Hazuan Hashim. Mixed media on card, August 2020.
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The Art Of Self Isolation (37)

Liverpool March 2018 (5)

Rembrant & The Harmonium Seller In Cheshire Street

Live Music At The Phil

October 19, 2020

The last time I heard live music was in March when I listened to a musician playing the Gamelan in Java. Yesterday I listened to the Liverpool Philharmonic orchestra playing music by Rossini, Stravinsky and Beethoven. It’s strange wearing a mask to a concert and stranger being socially distanced. We are proud to have one of the finest orchestras in the world in Liverpool and normally concerts are packed but during the pandemic the maximum audience size is 240.
Because of travel restrictions the usual conductor Vasily Petrenko was replaced by Joshua Weilerstein. He told us how pleased he was to see the audience and how important it was for musicians to play before a live audience. It’s extraordinary that orchestras are still playing because since the start of the pandemic many self-employed musicians have received little or no financial support. A survey undertaken by the Musician’s Union in September, found that a third (34%) of musicians are considering abandoning the industry completely, directly due to financial hardship caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Listening to ‘the Phil’ today I realised just how important live music is especially at times like this. Rishi Sunak thinks people working in the arts sector should retrain and seek new opportunities. History records that when JS Bach was appointed organist of the Neukirche in Arnstadt at the age of 18 he was helped into the post by his father’s cousin. As part of his duties, he had to examine the new organ in Neukirche. His fees came out of the town’s tax on beer. Remembering this progressive tax, I thought of the government’s inability to collect Tax from the rich. Can you imagine Rishi Sunak taxing the rich to pay for the arts? If he was to put a tax on beer to pay for orchestras it would probably be outsourced to Serco and Weatherspoons who would no doubt cream off a tidy sum.

The government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund has made little impact on the lives of musicians who are now facing the worst recession in living memory. The Tories clearly believe that their profession is no longer “viable” and they should retrain for other occupations. Musicians provide sheer joy to millions as well as a huge contribution to culture and the economy. They need to be protected during the pandemic not thrown on the scrap heap. The government is overseeing the decimation of the arts.
Schools are now spending less time on art, drama and music lessons. The curriculum has been stripped of any meaningful cultural content.
We are heading towards a cultural desert where the concept of ‘Arts for all’ will become a distant memory. As I sat applauding the musician’s yesterday, I thought how long will this last?

Inside the Philharmonic Hall. Liverpool, 18th October 2020.
A socially distanced viola player. Liverpool, 18th October 2020.
A socially distanced cellist. Liverpool, 18th October 2020.
Conductor Joshua Weilerstein. Liverpool, 18th October 2020.
Conductor Joshua Weilerstein. Liverpool, 18th October 2020.
Members of the orchestra acknowledge applause. Liverpool, 18th October 2020.
Thelma Handy, Leader of the orchestra. Liverpool, 18th October 2020.
Conductor Joshua Weilerstein addresses the audience. Liverpool, 18th October 2020.
Pianist Boris Giltburg. Liverpool, 18th October 2020.
Pianist Boris Giltburg. Liverpool, 18th October 2020.
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Ray Chen Storms Liverpool

Steve Reich In Liverpool

Around Liverpool (16)

October 15, 2020
Lodge Lane Liverpool c.1979
Lodge Lane. Liverpool 1979.
Chains. Albert Dock. Liverpool 2005.
Chains. Albert Dock. Liverpool 2005.
View from Kieth's wine bar. Lark Lane. Liverpool 1979.
View from Kieth’s wine bar. Lark Lane. Liverpool 1979.
Williamson square. Liverpool 2016.
Williamson square. Liverpool 2016.
A Labour Party Rally in St Georges hall c.1981
A Labour Party Rally in St Georges hall. Liverpool 1981.
Liverpool Pride 2016
Window view. Liverpool Pride 2016.
Lodge Lane, Liverpool c.1981
Pub in Lodge Lane. Liverpool 1981.
Lawrence Road. Liverpool 2016.
Lawrence Road. Liverpool 2016.
By St Georges Hall, Liverpool 2016
By St Georges Hall. Liverpool 2016

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On The Bus In Liverpool (15)

Liverpool June 2018

Smithdown Road Liverpool

Changing Brick Lane (21)

October 13, 2020
Brick Lane c.1986
Taking a rest on Brick Lane. East London, 1986.
Brick Lane 1992
Brick Lane 1992
‘The Cat Lady On Brick Lane’. Mixed media on card. August 2020.
Brick Lane c.1985
Brick Lane market. East London, 1985.
Passing each other on Brick Lane. East London, August 2018.
Brick Lane c.1984
Brick Lane. East London 1984.
Having a smoke on Brick Lane. East London, 2003.
Brick Lane Music Hall 1990
Brick Lane Music Hall. East London 1990.
Man in a hood on Brick Lane. East London 2019.
Brick Lane c.1985
Man with a cap on Brick Lane. East London 1985.
Lunch on Brick Lane. East London 2009.
Brick Lane c.1983
Brick Lane. East London, 1983

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Changing Brick Lane (20)

Whitechapel Market 1984 – 2006

Cheshire Street In 1984

Passing Christ Church Spitalfields

Liverpool Trolley Bags

October 8, 2020
Woman with a trolley bag London road. Liverpool 2017.
Woman with a trolley bag on London road. Liverpool 2017.
Woman with a trolley bag in North John Street. Liverpool, February 2019.
Woman with a shopping trolley. Lord Street, Liverpool 2017.
Woman with a shopping trolley. Lord Street, Liverpool 2017.
Woman with a trolley bag on Picton Road. Liverpool, May 2019.
Man with a trolley bag on Lime Street. Liverpool October 2017.
Woman with a trolley bag on Wavertree High Street. Liverpool, August 2019.
Man with a trolley bag. Liverpool September 2017.
Man with a trolley bag. Liverpool September 2017.
Shopping trolley. Bold Street, Liverpool 2017
Bold Street, Liverpool 2017.
hat
Woman with a shopping trolley on the bus. Liverpool March 2018.
Man with a shopping trolley in Old Swan. November, Liverpool 2017.
Man with a shopping trolley in Old Swan. November, Liverpool 2017.
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Liverpool June 2018 (5)

Campaign To Save Oglet Shore In Liverpool

Liverpool July 2019

Barcelona (2)

Liverpool & Berlin

The Art Of Self Isolation (37)

October 5, 2020
‘Homeless on Lime Street’. Mixed media on card, July 2020.
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The Art Of Self Isolation (36)

Liverpool March 2018 (5)

On The Waterfront In Liverpool

Mask Portrait (2)

October 1, 2020
Border control officer Kuala Lumpur airport. Mixed media on card, September 2020.
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Faces At The Melaka Night Market

The Art Of Self Isolation (36)

Around East London (16)

September 28, 2020
Whitechapel Market c.1987
Shopping in Whitechapel Market. East London, 1987.
Kiosk selling phone cards & lighters. Whitechapel Road. East London, June 2007.
Kiosk selling phone cards & lighters. Whitechapel Road. East London, June 2007.
Man pushing a pram outside Whitechapel Art Gallery. East London 1985.
On the phone outside Whitechapel Art Gallery. East London 2003.
Cleaning up. Brick Lane. East London 1984.
Cleaning up. Brick Lane. East London 1984.
Brick Lane. East London, September 2002.
Brick Lane c.1986
Taking a rest on Brick Lane. East London, 1986.
Passing each other on Brick Lane. East London, August 2018.
Reading in Spitalfields Market. East London, 2018.
Man reading a newspaper. Bishopsgate Goods Yard c. 2000
Man reading a newspaper. Bishopsgate Goods Yard. London 2000.

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Around East London (11)

East End Markets

Down The Roman Road

The Changing East End (37)

The Cat Lady On Brick Lane

September 24, 2020
‘The Cat Lady On Brick Lane’. Mixed media on card. August 2020.
‘The Cat Lady On Brick Lane’ (detail). Mixed media on card. August 2020.
You may also like this account of the Cat Lady by the Gentle Author in Spitalfields Life:

The Cat Lady Of Spitalfields

Hanoi Vietnam (11)

September 23, 2020
Walking on the road in Hanoi. Vietnam 2019.
Cyclist on the road in Hanoi. Vietnam 2019.
Taking a break in Hanoi. Vietnam 2019.
On the road in Hanoi. Vietnam 2019.
Early evening in Hanoi. Vietnam 2019.
Early evening in Hanoi. Vietnam 2019.
On the road in Hanoi. Vietnam 2019.
Ballon seller in Hanoi. Vietnam 2019.
Selling street food in Hanoi. Vietnam 2019.
Passing a laundry in Hanoi. Vietnam 2019.
Laundry sign in Hanoi. Vietnam 2019.
You may also like:

Hanoi Art

On The Road In Bangladesh

On The Road In Vietnam

Around East London (11)

September 22, 2020
Auction in Petticoat Lane. East London 1985.
Auction in Petticoat Lane. East London 1985.
Outside a betting shop on Roman Road. East London 2004.
Bethnal Green Road c.1990
Bus stop, Bethnal Green Road. East London, 1990.
Post box on Commercial Road. East London 2006.
Brick Lane c.1984
Cafe on Brick Lane. East London 1983.
Waiting for the bus in Mile End. East London, June 2007.
East London c.1990
On the number 8 bus. East London 1990.
Reading a book in Whitechapel station. East London, 2002.
Conversation in a cafe on Whitechapel Road. East London 1988.
At the florist on Bethnal Green Road. East London, January 2019.
You may also like:

Around East London (11)

East End January 2019 (9)

Vallance Road 1983 – 2015

Changing Whitechapel Market

Around Liverpool (15)

September 18, 2020
Cyclist in a hood on Brownlow Hill. Liverpool, 20th November 2019.
Cyclist on County Road. Liverpool August 2018.
The Mystery park in Wavertree. Liverpool, December, 2017.
Church Alley. Liverpool, September 2017.
Old Swan. Liverpool, November 2017.
Port protest, Liverpool 2017
Protest against poor working conditions for drivers and dockers, Liverpool 2017.
Williamson square. Liverpool 2016.
Williamson square. Liverpool 2016.
Black Lives Matter demonstration, Liverpool 2016
Black Lives Matter demonstration, Liverpool 2016
Liverpool Women's hospital, 2016.
Liverpool Women’s hospital, 2016.
Lodge Lane Liverpool c.1979
Lodge Lane. Liverpool 1979.
Picton Road. Liverpool 2017.
Picton Road. Liverpool 2017.
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Around Liverpool (14)

Liverpool At Night

Pub Talk Liverpool

On The Bus In Liverpool (16)

Electric Blue

September 12, 2020
‘Electric Blue’. Mixed media on card. August 2020.
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Pylon Art 2

Brick Lane Art (4)

Photograms (2)

Around Liverpool (14)

September 7, 2020
violin
Musicians performing at an ‘Irish music session’ at the Edinburgh pub in Sandown Lane. Liverpool, December 2017.
Walking into the co-op in Wavertree. Liverpool, December 2018.
Sunset over the Mystery Park. Liverpool, November 2018.
Shopping on Smithdown Road. Liverpool, December 2019.
seat
Cafe at the Royal Liverpool Hospital. Liverpool, December 2017.
Shopping in St Johns Market. Liverpool, September 2017.
Getting on a bus. Smithdown Road. Liverpool 2016.
Getting on a bus. Smithdown Road. Liverpool 2016.
Man with a trolley bag on Lime Street. Liverpool October 2017.
The Mystery park in Wavertree. Liverpool, December, 2017.
Rathbone Road. Liverpool, November 2017.
Rathbone Road. Liverpool, November 2017.
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Around Liverpool (13)

Liverpool Old & New (19)

On The Bus In Liverpool (24)

Liverpool Climate Strike 2019

September 6, 2020
Hundreds of school students, Trade Unionists, and unemployed workers took to the streets of Liverpool last September. Scientists believe the world is currently heading for more than 3C of warming, though the Paris Agreement commits them to curb temperatures to 1.5C or 2C above pre-industrial levels in order to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Young speakers in Liverpool made it clear that they want system change to avoid climate change. Protesters marched from St Georges Hall through the city to Derby square where speakers demanded an end to a polluting economy based on profit rather than the needs of the majority.

UK Student Climate Network said more than 200 events had been organised across the country. In London Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn told young people at a rally: “You and a whole generation have brought climate change centre stage and I am absolutely delighted about that. If we’re going to sustain this planet we need to get to net zero emissions a lot, lot quicker than 2050 the government’s target.” He wants every country to sign up to the Paris Agreement, which commits signatory nations to keeping global temperatures “well below” 2.0C (3.6F) above pre-industrial times. Referring to President Donald Trump, Mr Corbyn said it was “disgraceful when you get a president of a major country like the US” who says they will walk away.

Protester at St Georges’ Hall. Liverpool, Friday September 20th.

Around 1.4 million students took to the streets across the world back in April 2019 to urge governments to act on climate change. The September 2019 protest took place in 150 countries in what is believed to be the largest climate protest in history.

Resistance. Liverpool, Friday September 20th.

Crowds gather at St Georges’ Hall. Liverpool, Friday September 20th.

Cool message at St Georges’ Hall. Liverpool, Friday September 20th.

The Sea Is Rising. Liverpool, Friday September 20th.

A rebel at St Georges’ Hall. Liverpool, Friday September 20th.

Zero Carbon. Liverpool, Friday September 20th.

No more time to waste. Liverpool, Friday September 20th.

Protect Liverpool’s Green Space. Liverpool, Friday September 20th.

System Change Not Climate Change. Liverpool, Friday September 20th.

Learn to change or learn to swim. Liverpool, Friday September 20th.

You may also be interested in:

Climate Change & Bangladesh

The Art Of Resistance

International Women’s Day

Liverpool Proud City Of Protest

Revolution In Liverpool

The Art Of Self Isolation (36)

September 5, 2020
‘Homeless’. Mixed media on card. August 2020.
You may also be interested in:

Homeless In The UK

Whitechapel 1983 – 2016

On The Wall In Brick Lane in 2002

Jewish Museum Berlin

September 4, 2020

The Jewish Museum Berlin is one of the largest Jewish Museums in Europe. Opened to the public in 2001 it exhibits the social, political and cultural history of the Jews in Germany from the fourth century to the present, explicitly presenting and integrating, for the first time in postwar Germany, the repercussions of the Holocaust. The amazing building was designed by architect Daniel Libeskind a year before the fall of the Berlin wall. The design was based on three insights:  “it is impossible to understand the history of Berlin without understanding the enormous contributions made by its Jewish citizens; the meaning of the Holocaust must be integrated into the consciousness and memory of the city of Berlin; and, finally, for its future, the City of Berlin and the country of Germany must acknowledge the erasure of Jewish life in its history.”

Jewish Museum, Berlin 2002

Jewish Museum, Berlin 2002

Jewish Museum, Berlin 2002

Jewish Museum, Berlin 2002

Jewish Museum, Berlin 2002

Jewish Museum, Berlin 2002

Jewish Museum, Berlin 2002

Jewish Museum, Berlin 2002

Jewish Museum, Berlin 2002

Jewish Museum, Berlin 2002

Jewish Museum, Berlin 2002

Jewish Museum, Berlin 2002

Jewish Museum, Berlin 2002

Jewish Museum, Berlin 2002

Jewish Museum, Berlin 2002

Jewish Museum, Berlin 2002

Jewish Museum, Berlin 2002

Jewish Museum, Berlin 2002

You may also like:

Liverpool & Berlin

Ai Weiwei In Berlin (3)

A walk around Berlin (2)

The Changing East End (48)

September 3, 2020
Sunday market at Bishopsgate Goodsyard. East London, 2003.
Reading a newspaper in Whitechapel market. East London 2004.
Walking into a shop on Brick Lane. East London 2019.
Conversation in a cafe on Whitechapel Road. East London 1988.
The Carpenter’s Arms, Cheshire Street. East London, August 2018.
Vegetables for sale from the back of a lorry on Brick Lane. East London 1992.
Having a smoke and phone break on Vallance Road. East London 2018.
Live music in Spitalfields market. East London 1998.
The Smith Quartet rehearsing at Wilton's Music Hall for Deirdre Gribbin's opera 'Crossing The Sea. East London 2010.
The Smith Quartet rehearsing at Wilton’s Music Hall for Deirdre Gribbin’s opera ‘Crossing The Sea. East London 2010.
Looking south west c.1988
Looking south west from Whitechapel. East London 1988.
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The Changing East End (47)

Cheshire Street In 1984

Passing Christ Church Spitalfields

On The Phone In Rome

August 31, 2020
‘On the phone in Rome’. Mixed media on card. August 2020.
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Inside The Pantheon

On The Phone In Java

On The Phone In Liverpool

The Changing East End (47)

August 29, 2020
Cheshire Street. East London 1984.
Sclater Street. East London, 1985.
Cheshire Street. East London 1984.
Cable Street 50th anniversary celebration in Stepney Green 1986
Cable Street 50th anniversary celebration in Stepney Green. East London, 1986.
Whitechapel Road. East London 2004.
Whitechapel Road. East London 2004.
Whitechapel High Road. East London 2004.
Whitechapel c.1983
Homeless woman with a trolley bag in Whitechapel market. East London 1983.
Entering Brick Lane Mosque. East London 2005.
Looking East from Whitechapel. East London 2002.
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The Changing East End (46)

Phil Maxwell At Watney Market

Whitechapel Market 1984 – 2006

Man With A Pram

August 28, 2020
‘Man with a pram’. Mixed media on card. August 2020.
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The Changing East End (46)

Liverpool August 2019 (6)

August 27, 2020

Cyclist on County Road. Liverpool August 2018.

Knight Street. Liverpool August 2019.

The Richmond pub. Liverpool August 2019.

The Richmond pub. Liverpool August 2019.

County Road. Liverpool August 2018.County Road. Liverpool August 2018.

Dog walking on County Road. Liverpool August 2018.

Wearing earphones on Leece Street. Liverpool August 2019.

Turning into Rodney Street. Liverpool August 2019.

Cyclist on County Road. Liverpool August 2018.

Posters on a derelict building on Stanley Road. Liverpool August 2019.

Cyclist passing a derelict building on Stanley Road. Liverpool August 2019.

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On The Phone In Liverpool (5)

The Changing East End (45)

Around East London 2007 (4)

 

 

 

Hanoi Art

August 26, 2020
‘Hanoi Street’. Mixed media on card. August 2020.
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August 20, 2020
‘On the phone in Java’. Mixed media on card. August 2020.
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Second Hand In The East End

August 17, 2020
Second hand clothes man, Cheshire Street 1988

Second hand clothes man, Cheshire Street. East London 1988.

Lady selling second hand goods on Brick Lane

Lady selling second hand goods on Brick Lane, 2007.

A man examining the condition of a LP. Sclater Street market, 1986

A man examining the condition of a LP. Sclater Street market. East London 1986.

A woman looking through second hand books, Sclater street market 2008

A woman looking through second hand books, Sclater Street market, London 2008.

A man looking through second hand books

A man looking through second hand books in Cheshire Street. East London 1984.

Woman selling clothes on Brick Lane, 2009

Selling second hand clothes on Brick Lane. London 2009.

Second hand goods for sale at Shoreditch High Street and Broadgate, 2001

Second hand goods for sale at Shoreditch High Street and Broadgate. East London 2001.

Woman with shopping trolley

Woman with shopping trolley. Watney market charity shop. East London 2010.

Second hand clothes and books. Cheshire Street, London 1984

Second hand clothes and books. Cheshire Street. East London 1984.

Brick Lane 2009

Clothes for sale. Brick Lane market. East London 2009.

 

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August 16, 2020

Between Aldgate East & Whitechapel. East London, August 2018.

phone

Between Aldgate East & Whitechapel. East London, August 2018.

phone

Waiting to enter Whitechapel station. East London, August 2018.

Leaving the train at Whitechapel station. East London, August 2018.

Waiting for the train to leave at Whitechapel station. East London, August 2018.

suitcase

Leaving the train at Whitechapel station. East London, August 2018.

Leaving the train at Whitechapel station. East, August 2018.

Train arrival at Whitechapel station. East London, August 2018.

Getting on and off the train at Whitechapel station. East London, August 2018.

Leaving the train at Whitechapel station. East London, August 2018.

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Blessing In Rome

August 15, 2020
‘Blessing In Rome’. Mixed media on canvas. July 2020.
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August 14, 2020

Rossi’s Cafe in Hanbury Street. East London 2005.

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Man smoking in a cafe in Cheshire Street. East London 1984.

On the phone in Commercial Road. East London 2006.

Woman with a shopping trolley on Bethnal Green Road. East London 2019.

Brick Lane c. 1983

Brick Lane. East London 1983.

Man with a walking stick on Commercial Road. East London 2006.

Vegetable stall on Bethnal Green Road. East London 2019.

Cable Street. East London 2005.

Having a smoke on Whitechapel Road. East London 2004.

Bethnal Green Road. East London 2019.

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Around East London 2007 (4)

On The Bus In London 1983 – 1999

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Whitechapel Market 1984 – 2006

Mask Portrait

August 12, 2020

This is the first of a series of portraits featuring people wearing masks. I was in Malaysia and Java in March and it was commonplace to see people wearing masks to protect themselves and others from the Coronavirus. It was a shock to return to the UK and witness the absence of masks. The first portrait is of Hazuan Hashim.

‘Hazuan wearing a mask’. Mixed media on card. August 2020.
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August 11, 2020
Crossing the railway foot bridge from Cheshire Street. East London 2018.
evening standard
Newspaper seller at Aldgate East Station. East London, 1985.
Smiling on Brick Lane. East London, 2006.
Wearing earphones & sun glasses on Brick Lane. East London 2018.
Hanbury Street. East London, 2009.
Looking West from Pauline House in Old Montague Street. East London 2007.
Reflections in Cheshire Street. East London 2018.
Cannon Street Road. East London 2008.
Whitechapel Road. East London 1984.
On the phone in Greatorex Street. East London 2008.
Brick Lane. East London 2008.

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Liverpool May 2018 (6)

August 6, 2020

Thorneycroft Road. Liverpool, May 2018.

Arthur outside Picton Cycles. Liverpool, May 2018.

On the phone near Matthew Street. Liverpool, May 2018.

In town. Liverpool, May 2018.

St John’s. Liverpool, May 2018.

Tree & blue sky in Wavertree. Liverpool, May 2018.

The Edinburgh pub. Liverpool, May 2018.

The Crown pub in Lime Street. Liverpool, May 2018.

Lawrence Road. Liverpool, May 2018.

On the phone in Lawrence Road. Liverpool, May 2018.

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August 4, 2020

Bus stop on Picton Road. Liverpool, August 2018.

bridge

View from the top of the 79 bus on Picton Road. Liverpool, July 2018.

View from the top of the 79 bus. Liverpool, May 2018.

Bus stop on Picton Road. Liverpool, July 2018.

View from the top of the 79 bus on Brownllow Hill. Liverpool, June 2018.

View from the top of the 79 bus on Picton Road. Liverpool, July 2018.

On the number 14 bus. Liverpool, June 2018.

On the 79 bus. Liverpool, August 2018.

On the 79 bus. Liverpool, August 2018.

On the number 60 bus on Smithdown Road. Liverpool, August 2018.

On the number 60 bus on Croxteth Road. Liverpool, August 2018.

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August 2, 2020
‘Dance’. Mixed media on card. July 2020.
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July 29, 2020
‘Homeless’. Mixed media on card. July 2020.
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July 23, 2020
Conversation at the bar. The Dispensary pub, Renshaw Street. Liverpool, August 2019.
Conversation at the bar. The Dispensary pub, Renshaw Street. Liverpool, August 2019.
Conversation at the bar. The Dispensary pub, Renshaw Street. Liverpool, August 2019.
Conversation at the bar. The Dispensary pub, Renshaw Street. Liverpool, August 2019.
Conversation at the bar. The Dispensary pub, Renshaw Street. Liverpool, August 2019.
Conversation at the bar. The Dispensary pub, Renshaw Street. Liverpool, August 2019.
Conversation at the bar. The Dispensary pub, Renshaw Street. Liverpool, August 2019.
Conversation at the bar. The Dispensary pub, Renshaw Street. Liverpool, August 2019.
Conversation at the bar. The Dispensary pub, Renshaw Street. Liverpool, August 2019.
At the bar. The Dispensary pub, Renshaw Street. Liverpool, August 2019.
Conversation at the bar. The Dispensary pub, Renshaw Street. Liverpool, August 2019.
Conversation at the bar. The Dispensary pub, Renshaw Street. Liverpool, August 2019.
At the bar. The Dispensary pub, Renshaw Street. Liverpool, August 2019.
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Vallance Road East London

July 22, 2020
Vallance Road. East London 2003.
View from a window in Vallance Road. Spitalfields December 2017.
View from a window in Vallance Road. Spitalfields December 2017.
Vallance Road 2014
Vallance Road, Whitechapel. East London 2009.
Blossom on Vallance Road. Spitalfields 2010.
Blossom on Vallance Road. East London, 2010.
Vallance Road 2014
Vallance Road. East London, 2014.
Vallance Road 2014
Vallance Road. East London, 2014.
Vallance Road. East London 2002.
Vallance Road. East London 2002.
Vallance Road. East London, 2004.
Woman with a shopping trolley on Vallance Road. East London, 1989.
Pram on Vallance Road
Man pushing a pram on Vallance Road. East London, 1986.
Having a smoke and phone break on Vallance Road. East London 2018.
Vallance Road c.1989
Vallance Road. East London, 1989.
Vallance Road 2014
Vallance Road. East London, 2014.
Car boot sale. Vallance Road Whitechapel, 1984
Car boot sale. Vallance Road Whitechapel, 1984.
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July 20, 2020
‘Hazuan resting’. Mixed media on card. June 2020.
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July 19, 2020

Looking east towards Canary Wharf from Whitechapel. East London 2007.

Rolling a cigarette in Puma Court. East London 2018.

Outside the dentists on Vallance Road. East London 2007.

Commercial Street with the Ten Bells Pub. East London 2018.

Whitechapel Road. East London 2007.

Whitechapel High Street. East London 2018.

Whitechapel Road. East London 2007.

Whitechapel High Street. East London 2018.

Whitechapel Road. East London 2007.

Whitechapel Road. East London 2007.

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July 14, 2020
”Berlin 3′. Mixed media on card. May 2020.
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July 10, 2020

The Post House pub. Liverpool, July 2019.

St Johns shopping centre. Liverpool, July 2019.

On the phone in the Post House pub. Liverpool, July 2019.

On the phone in the Post House pub. Liverpool, July 2019.

Williamson Square – the day after the UK gets a new Prime Minister. Liverpool, July 2019.

Reflections in a window in the Dingle. Liverpool, July 2019.

Renshaw Street. Liverpool, July 2019.

Poppy in Wavertree. Liverpool, July 2019.

Keith Haring exhibition at the Tate. Liverpool, July 2019.

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July 6, 2020
Pharaoh Menkawara, his wife & on the phone in Marrakech. Mixed media on card. July 2020.
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July 4, 2020

Lime Street. Liverpool 2017.

Lime Street. Liverpool 2017.

Man with a walking stick. Lime Street. Liverpool 2017.

Man with a walking stick. Lime Street. Liverpool 2017.

Picton Road. Liverpool 2017.

Picton Road. Liverpool 2017.

St John's Market. Liverpool 2017.

St John’s Market. Liverpool 2017.

Sandown Lane. Liverpool 2017.

Sandown Lane. Liverpool 2017.

Bold Street. Liverpool 1017.

Bold Street. Liverpool 2017.

London Road. Liverpool 2017.

London Road. Liverpool 2017.

Bold Street. Liverpool 2017.

Bold Street. Liverpool 2017.

Renshaw Street. Liverpool 2017.

Renshaw Street. Liverpool 2017.

Lime Street. Liverpool 2017.

Lime Street. Liverpool 2017.

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July 3, 2020
‘Crucifixion’. Mixed media on card. May 2020.
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July 2, 2020

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Conversation on Lime Street. Liverpool, July 25th 2018.

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Picton Road. Liverpool, July 2018.

Cyclist in Church Alley. Liverpool, July 2018.

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Man on a bench in Church Alley. Liverpool, July 2018.

Walking a dog on Picton Road. Liverpool, July 2018.

Shopping. Liverpool, July 2018.

On the phone at South Parkway station. Liverpool, July 2018.

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Flower & a bee in Wavertree. Liverpool, July 25th 2018.

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Deep in thought at the Carnarvon Castle pub. Liverpool, July 25th 2018.

Homeless man in Church Street. Liverpool, July 25th 2018.

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June 30, 2020
Resting in Brick Lane. Mixed media on card. June 2020.
Resting in Brick Lane. Mixed media on card (detail). June 2020.
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MELA Hanbury Street 1984

June 29, 2020

Children from the Chicksand Estate watch some break danceing. Spitalfields1984

Children from the Chicksand Estate watch some break dancing. Spitalfields 1984

In 1984 the MELA, as usual, was based in Hanbury Street. The organisers recognised that most people lived on the Chicksand Estate. If it rained then music etc could be resumed in the Montefiore Centre. It was a community event organised by locals unlike the commercial MELA we’ve seen on Brick Lane in recent years.

Mela, Hanbury Street. London 1984

Mela, Hanbury Street. London 1984

MELA in Hanbury Street 1984.

Bangladesh butterfly. Shunamgonj, Bangladesh 1991

Bangladesh butterfly. Shunamgonj, Bangladesh 1991

Children in front of the Montefiore Centre. Hanbury Street, London 1984

Children in front of the Montefiore Centre. Hanbury Street, London 1984

Children in front of the Montefiore Centre. Hanbury Street, London 1984

Children in front of the Montefiore Centre. Hanbury Street, London 1984

Enjoying ice cream at the 1984 Mela.

Weaving demonstration outside Kingward House at the 1984 Mela.

Throwing a ball at coconuts in Hanbury Street at the 1984 Mela.

Throwing a ball at coconuts in Hanbury Street at the 1984 Mela.

Listening to a steel band in Hanbury Street at the 1984 Mela.

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June 24, 2020
‘Homeless in Liverpool (3)’. Mixed media on card. May 2020.

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June 22, 2020
Michael Myers inside the Golden Heart. East London, 2018.
Outside the 'Golden heart' pub. Spitalfields. East London September 2017.
Outside the ‘Golden heart’ pub. Spitalfields. East London September 2017.
Outside the Indo pub (from the inside). Whitechapel, East London, June 2007.
Outside the Indo pub (from the inside). Whitechapel, East London, June 2007.
Inside the Pride of Spitalfields pub. East London 2017.
The bar at the Pride of Spitalfields pub. East London 2017.
Outside the Ten Bells pub on Commercial Street. East London 2018.
In the Carpenter’s Arms on Cheshire Street. East London, 2018.
A table of glasses in the Golden Heart. Spitalfields December 2017.
A table of glasses in the Golden Heart. Spitalfields December 2017.
Man in Whitechapel pub, London 2015.
Whitechapel pub, London 2015.
View of the old Oxford Arms (now demolished) 2007
View of the old Oxford Arms (now demolished). East London 2007.
Sitting on the steps of the Wellington pub (now closed). East London, December 2017.
Newspaper seller, Birdcage pub Columbia Rd 1987
Newspaper seller outside the Birdcage pub on Columbia Rd. East London 1987.
The Carpenter’s Arms, Cheshire Street. East London, August 2018.
Sandra Esqulant outside the Golden Heart pub. East London 2007.
Sandra Esqulant outside the Golden Heart pub. East London 2007.
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June 20, 2020
‘Spitalfields (2)’. Mixed media on card. April 2020.
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Save Oglet Shore In Liverpool

June 18, 2020

I’m  reposting this blog from June 2018 as the issues raised in it are as important today as they were two years ago.

The Oglet Shore (Anglo Saxon: “oak by the water”), is a magnificent designated green belt area in Liverpool. It is now under threat because of plans to cover much of it with concrete in order to extend the runway at the loss making John Lennon airport. If the plans go ahead it will destroy the habitats of wildlife including bats, barn owls and many ‘red list’, endangered, farmland birds. Peel holdings, who own the land are keen to develop the  runway. Liverpool City Council have pledged to protect our parks and green spaces and also have a duty to protect and preserve this important coastal habitat, so why threaten it in the vain hope the airport will become profitable?

Last Monday evening I was invited to join a group of locals and bat expert Charlie Liggett to explore this magnificent threatened habit of wildlife. Charlie, the Chair of Merseyside & West Lancashire Bat Group, was able to confirm the presence of bats.

The Radar Tower near Oglet Shore. Liverpool June 2018.

sky

Farmland and the fading sun on Oglet Shore. Liverpool June 2018.

sky mountains

A view towards the rive Mersey from Oglet Shore. Liverpool June 2018.

Long grass and sunset on Oglet Shore. Liverpool June 2018.

red sky

Looking towrds the airport perimeter fence from Oglet Shore. Liverpool June 2018.

sky

The moon through the long grass on Oglet Shore. Liverpool June 2018.

moon

One of the many trees that will be destroyed on Oglet Shore if the runway is extended. Liverpool June 2018.

Exploring Oglet Shore shortly before midnight. Liverpool June 2018.

The control Tower viewed from Oglet Shore. Liverpool June 2018.

Bat expert Charlie Liggett confirms the presence of bats on Oglet Shore. Liverpool June 2018.

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June 17, 2020
‘Berlin’ number 3′. Mixed media on card. June 2020.
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June 15, 2020
Irish music night in The Edinburgh pub, Sandown Lane. Liverpool, May 2019.
Peter Kavanagh’s pub in Egerton Street. Liverpool, September 2018.
The Richmond pub. Liverpool August 2019.
Inside the Edinburgh pub in Wavertree. Liverpool, October 2018.
On the phone in the Grapes pub in Roscoe Street. Liverpool, January 2019.
Looking at paintings in the Grapes pub in Roscoe Street. Liverpool, January 2019.
Passing The Crown pub on Lime Street. Liverpool, November 2018.
The Richmond pub. Liverpool, August 2019.
The Post House pub. Liverpool, September 2018.
The Post House pub. Liverpool April 2017.
The Post House pub. Liverpool April 2017.
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June 14, 2020
‘Passing on Brick Lane’. Mixed Media on canvas, 2020.

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June 12, 2020
The Richmond pub. Liverpool August 2019.
Outside the Picton pub on Picton Road. Liverpool, October 2019.
The Richmond Pub. Liverpool August 2019.
Conversation in the Grapes pub in Roscoe Street. Liverpool, January 2019.
Outside a pub on Wavertree High Street. Liverpool, December 2019.
Barman in Peter Kavanagh’s pub in Egerton Street. Liverpool, September 2018.
Inside the Carnarvon Castle pub. Liverpool, July 25th 2018.
The Sun public house. Prescot Liverpool. May 2017.
The Sun public house. Prescot Liverpool. May 2017.
On the phone in the Post House pub. Liverpool, July 2019.
Lime Street station pub. Liverpool, December 2018.
Entrance to the Philharmonic pub in Hope Street. Liverpool, June 2018.
Behind the bar in the Post House pub. Liverpool, September 2018.
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June 11, 2020
‘Homeless in Liverpool (2)’. Mixed media on card. April 2020.
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June 10, 2020
‘Commercial Street, East London’. Mixed Media on canvas, 2020.
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June 8, 2020
‘Cables in Java’. Mixed media on card. April 2020.
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A Liverpool Pub before Lockdown

June 7, 2020

One of Liverpool’s best kept secrets is the Irish music session at the Edinburgh pub (the ‘Eddy’) in Sandown Lane, Wavertree. Held every Monday evening you never leave disappointed! I miss this pub so much. My final drink there before the lockdown was on March 11th.

violin

Irish Music Night. The Edinburgh Pub. December 2017.

Irish Music Night. The Edinburgh Pub. December 2017.

Irish Music Night. The Edinburgh Pub. December 2017.

song

Greg Quiery in fine voice. Irish Music Night. The Edinburgh Pub. December 2017.

smile

Having a laugh. The Edinburgh Pub. December 2017.

A range of instruments at the Irish Music Night. The Edinburgh Pub. December 2017.

A range of instruments at the Irish Music Night. The Edinburgh Pub. December 2017.

accordian

Irish Music Night. The Edinburgh Pub. December 2017.

vocal

Irish song. The Edinburgh Pub. December 2017.

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Irish Music Night. The Edinburgh Pub. December 2017.

recorder

Irish Music Night. The Edinburgh Pub. December 2017.

smile

Irish Music Night. The Edinburgh Pub. December 2017.

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June 5, 2020
‘On the phone in Marrakech’. Mixed media on card. April 2020.
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May 31, 2020
‘Homeless in Liverpool’. Mixed media on card. April 2020.
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Bethnal Green Road & Brick Lane

May 30, 2020

Wearing earphones on Brick Lane. East London 2018.

Brick Lane c.1992

Anti Racist demo on Brick Lane. East London 1992.

Bethnal Green Road from the top of the number 8 bus. East London 2018.

Bethnal Green Road. East London 2018.Bethnal Green Road. East London 2018.

Wearing headphones on Brick Lane. East London 2018.

Brick Lane c.1993

Children outside a shop on Brick Lane. East London 1993.

Wearing headphones on Bethnal Green Road. East London 2018.

Bethnal Green Road from the top of the number 8 bus. East London 2018.

Junction of Bethnal Green Road and Brick Lane. East London 2018.

On the back of a lorry on Bethnal Green Road. East London 2018.

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Around Brick Lane in 2002

 

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May 28, 2020
‘Homeless in London’. Mixed media on card. April 2020.
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May 27, 2020

Allerton Road. Liverpool, May 2019.

Man wearing headphones on Allerton Road. Liverpool, May 2019.

Mount Pleasant. Liverpool, May 2019.

Renshaw Street. Liverpool, May 2019.

Renshaw Street. Liverpool, May 2019.

Twilight in Wavertree. Liverpool, May 2019.

Berry Street. Liverpool, May 2019.

Raindrops on a plant in Wavertree. Liverpool, May 2019.

Counting votes in the local council election. Liverpool, May 2019.

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