PHIL MAXWELL

Many of you by now will have noted my tendency of taking photographs in rapid succession. Cynics might say it increases the possibility of getting a decent image! The actual reason for my ‘trigger happiness’ is that I am fascinated by the relationship between people and the built environment and the movement dynamic that occurs within a few seconds. Successive shots also facilitate a number of opportunities for the use of images in film. My early collaborations with Hazuan Hashim illustrate the filmic qualities of sequences taken in the 1980’s.

Many of the sequences in the ‘East End Series’ were taken on an SLR camera which required each frame of film to be wound on by hand. The digital revolution has enabled me to push my sequences technique much further. Nevertheless the business of my winding hands on the camera for over 20 years produced the results I wanted; because of time and financial constraints it was impossible to utilise all the material produced. I still continued to process rolls & rolls of film hoping that they might see the light of day some time in the future. This is now happening and my archive is at last beginning to come alive! The support of the Bishopsgate Institute (who are digitising the archive) has given me the time to make creative use of my ’emerging archive’.