Len looks through the lens at east Manchester’s transformation
Submitted by East Manchester on Tue, 06/16/2009 - 13:53.
On 12 June 2009 an exhibition called ‘East 1 to 10’ will open in east Manchester, showcasing the work of award-winning Manchester photographer, Len Grant who has been documenting the changes in the area since 2004.
Held at the new visitor centre at Sportcity, at the junction of Ashton New Road and Alan Turing Way and next to B of the Bang, the exhibition is a retrospective of his work charting the changes in east Manchester over half a decade.
Over the past five years Len has produced East, commissioned by urban regeneration company New East Manchester. After ten issues, the high-quality reportage-style magazine is going online.
All Len’s articles can be viewed for free on www.thisiseast.com, ensuring the story of east Manchester is easily accessible to everyone. Len has produced slideshows and articles about new housing, a home for the creative industries, the demise of B of the Bang and environmental issues. Using the best of the web and technology, Len is now able to post up audio and video files of interviews he's done with people who live in or are involved in east Manchester.
Photographer Len Grant said: “My interests lie in urban regeneration, and more importantly the people who live through these both positive and negative experiences of change. I view myself as not just a photographer, but a storyteller giving previously unheard and unseen people a voice and committing their stories to history.
“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed producing East over the past 5 years. It’s been a privilege to be able to get a snap shot of the lives of the people of east Manchester in this way and the exhibition is a celebration of what’s been achieved. With www.thisiseast.com we’re moving into a new and exciting era and I’m looking forward to sharing many more stories about east Manchester’s transformation.”
Sean McGonigle, director of regeneration for New East Manchester, said: “Len has done a fantastic job chronicling the change in this area through the eyes of local people. Using his unique style, he has been able to tell some very real stories about ordinary people in an extraordinary way. East Manchester is a very special place and he captures the essence of this beautifully in words and pictures. The time is right to move onto the web, allowing many more people the chance to enjoy Len’s work and learn about the social and physical regeneration taking place in this important part of Manchester.”
The exhibition will run from 12 June-17 July 2009 and is open from 9am-4.30pm Monday to Friday.
For more information visit www.thisiseast.com or www.lengrant.co.uk.
How good is it to see happy smiley faces on the Edgelane Allotments where generations of familys are being brought back together, instead of doom and gloom, threats of closure, and the hearts of familys being ripped apart by the ever increasing threat of over priced houses. Lets hope we can bring this new generation of children together with community building skills and not just the idea of I need to just borrow borrow borrow and then just throw everything away.
Len Grant you have done a great job capturing the faces of the real people in East Manchester keep up the good work.