Art / Photography
The photographer capturing 24 hours in Stokes Croft
German-born photographer Claudio Ahlers will spend 24 hours in Stokes Croft today (Tuesday, December 5), as part of a photography project aiming to capture a slice of life in one of the busiest thoroughfares of the city, which sees some 25,000 people pass through each week.
24H Our City – The People of the Croft has been four months in the planning, and, two hours in on a chilly December morning, the team were in full flow, chatting to the passers by and inviting them to stop for a photograph in the bright living-room set built temporarily on the junction of City Road.
The theme of the set is ‘home away from home’
“We spent ages collecting pieces for the set,” says Claudio. It’s been designed and painted by interactive theatre-maker Sarah Middleton, with the intent of evoking a ‘home away from home’ – which Stokes Croft is for many people from all walks of life. With comfortable chairs, a bookshelf of novels and even a copy of Bristol24/7 tucked into the turquoise magazine rack, it’s everything you could want.
is needed now More than ever
Claudio will be assisted throughout the day by a team of volunteers from UWE’s photography course, who will be doing six-hour stints on Stokes Croft, capturing the people who come to sit in and engage with the set.
Claudio Ahlers (left) with some of the volunteers from UWE helping with the project
The day is still young, but already the team have been tirelessly snapping portraits of commuters on their way to work and Stokes Croft’s early risers, including well-known local face Jeff Knight, who sells the Big Issue.
“It’s quite off the cuff, but I’d like to capture some of the people that everyone knows,” says Claudio when asked if there’s a particular image he hopes to capture over the course of the day and night. “Really, it’s about the variety. It’s a treasure trove, and often it’s about the conversations you have with people that make the pictures special.”
Images captured over the 24 hours will be exhibited at Hamilton House from Feb 1-7 2018. Anyone who has been photographed can email photography@stills-in-time.co.uk to request a free digital copy of their photograph.
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