//...ARC HULL EAST MEETS WEST PHOTOGRAPHIC COMMISSION...// Hull, you surprise me. I am ashamed to say what I expected you to be like, but you are not like that. You welcomed me, you spoke to me when I was too shy and introduced yourself. You told me stories of your life within minutes of meeting me. You took me at face value. You said I was funny, because I would rather take pictures in the war zone of Southern Lebanon than photograph a wedding. I’ve always been an outsider. My London has always been a place of movement and transition. No one is from London, they’re only passing through. But Hull, some of you have lived your entire lives on the same side of the river, even the same road where you were born. For someone born to an accident of geography and politics, this is inconceivable. When I thought we were over, and I had to leave without having solved your mystery, I found the Blue Lagoon. I was told that something was still drawing the people of Hull to the sea. Suddenly, it all made sense. Your history, present and future fell into place. I dwell in your past because I’m envious; I have no history of place to call mine. No architectural traditions to recognise. You are a surrogate for my nostalgia, living imagined narratives in your docks, your trawlers and mills, your bakeries and paint factories. I am envious of your feet on the ground. Below is the final selection of 15 images as featured in the exhibition. Please hover your mouse over the image to read the captions, and view full screen (button on bottom right of the slideshow) to read the full captions.
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