His intense black and white photo-portraits conquered the international jury and thus went to the British documentary maker Craig Easton the title of “Photographer of the Year” at the Sony World Photography Awards 2021. This was announced by the World Photography Organization which thus awarded his work “Bank Top”, in collaboration with the writer and scholar Abdul Aziz Hafiz, who with his black and white portraits focuses on the misrepresentation of the communities of northern England, focusing above all on the close-knit neighborhood of Bank Top in Blackburn. The project stems from the Kick Down the Barriers initiative, promoted by the Blackburn Museum & Art Gallery in response to the image of Blackburn as “Britain’s most segregated city” provided by the media. To challenge this narrative, the museum has invited artists and writers to represent the communities of the various neighborhoods in a solid and authentic way, collaborating with their residents.
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Portraits in black and white
For a year, Easton and Hafiz worked closely with locals to elaborate local stories and experiences through a series of black and white portraits accompanied by captions. Their analysis revealed issues of social deprivation, housing, unemployment, immigration and representation, as well as the impact of past and present foreign policies. Their work aims to be a response to simplifications and generalizations, with the aim of knowing the context that led to the formation of these communities and better understand how, now, they manage to thrive together.
Mike Trow, president of the 2021 edition of the Professional competition, commented: “Craig’s intent, dedication and understanding are most impressive in this project. Working closely with the writer Abdul Aziz Hafiz, he created a complete work, implicitly recognizing the importance of words for such a sensitive project. It tends to be not easy to get people like these to be photographed, but Craig has been able to earn their trust. The mutual understanding between the documentary maker and the models, with a straight gaze aimed at the camera, is evident. The moral caliber of this work makes it extremely important and particularly worthy of being awarded. “
“Photographer to learn, to try to understand, to document”
But here’s what the award-winning Easton said: “I am proud that my work has been appreciated by the Sony World Photography Awards. Photographer to learn, to try to understand, to document and share stories. It is a privilege to be able to do this by questioning perceptions and stereotypes, a theme that I believe to be particularly important. It is fantastic that the stories of the ignored or misrepresented communities of Northern England, where I live, can be recognized and shared globally. “