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4 hours ago
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Our British seaside has such a distinctive look; the bingo halls, the buckets and spades and pinwheels, and all the amazing colours of the funfairs. I find them the most amazing environments. I love that visually super-charged, maximalist style.
The seaside is nostalgic to all of us. My grandpa lived in Pembrokeshire and we’d go and see him when I was little. The beach provokes this childlike sense of wonderment. It is a space that anyone can be a part of, friends and family, whatever age, whatever background. It unlocks the connection to nature, which inspires freedom and fun. There are not really any rules, and it’s playful – the funfairs, the arcades, splashing in the water. We don’t have many outlets for play, especially as adults.
In a really simple way, this photo captures that intense colour and joy of being at the seaside with your loved ones. It was taken in 2021 at this amazing funfair in Weston-super-Mare. I love the intensity of all the primary colours, dominant reds and blues and yellows, and the twins’ matching white T-shirts, standing out within that bright backdrop. The ride was moving at such a fast pace, I was nervous I wasn’t going to get it in focus.
I started shooting the British seaside during the Covid lockdown. It was very hard during that period to make any work since all of my documentary projects are about belonging, shared heritage, and spaces where groups of people gather. But then I saw on the news that beaches had become spaces to congregate, I started going to the seaside and photographing people there – I hadn’t really been drawn to it before.
This will be my sixth year of making the project. I return to it every summer. This island has more than 3,000 miles of coastline so it’s a very interesting way of seeing Britain. People from all walks of life can end up sitting side by side and have this shared experience. Everyone’s there for the same reasons and there’s something quite beautiful about that.
My projects often begin in serendipitous ways. In 2014, I happened upon the historic Wimbledon Stadium and heard the roar of banger car engines. Until then, I hadn’t even known that banger racing existed as a motor sport. Curious, I began exploring the culture and community surrounding it, and more than a decade later I am still photographing the project.
Congregation also grew out of everyday observation. Living in south London, I became aware of the many Black-majority churches in Southwark and would often see churchgoers on Sunday mornings dressed in beautiful white uniforms. One day, I stopped to speak to a woman about what her outfit symbolised, and that conversation became the starting point for the project.
Gypsy Gold began after watching My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding. The programme presented a highly sensationalised portrayal of Irish Traveller life, and I suspected there was a richer story beneath the surface. That curiosity eventually led me to Traveller horse fairs – unique social gatherings centred around horse trading, social reunions and longstanding traditions, which became a way for me to document aspects of Traveller life that are rarely seen or understood by outsiders.
There’s so many stories that are not part of the mainstream social narrative, and lots of ways that people are creating meaning and forging belonging. Relationships and connections are so vital when we live in an increasingly individualistic world and there is so much division. And the more that I explore through my work, the more I appreciate just how layered British society is – we have so many subcultures. British identity is so multifaceted.
Sophie Green’s Tangerine Dreams: Rituals of Belonging in Contemporary British Life is at the Martin Parr Foundation, Bristol, from 4 June to 6 September.
Sophie Green’s CV
Born 1991, London, UK
High point: A peak moment for me has been Tangerine Dreams as both a book and an exhibition. It’s my third photography book, bringing together a decade of my documentary work. Seeing that body of work realised, and now shown as a solo exhibition at the Martin Parr Foundation, has been a really significant moment in my career.
Top tip: Figure out what you want to say, what you care about, and what you’re excited to explore. Devote and dedicate yourself to it. Keep taking pictures. Stay true to your vision and trust your instincts. Seek out novelty, and for heaven’s sake, stay curious.
