Preston is My Paris Publishing (PPP) is a photography-based project that creates publications, site-specific installations, live events, digital applications, education, writing, talks and workshops. It was started in 2009 by Adam Murray (born 1983, Loughborough) and Robert Parkinson (born 1986, Burnley) as a photocopied zine with the intention of encouraging the exploration of
Preston
Preston is a place name, surname and given name that may refer to:
Places
England
*Preston, Lancashire, an urban settlement
**The City of Preston, Lancashire, a borough and non-metropolitan district which contains the settlement
**County Boro ...
as a subject for creative practice and to focus more attention on the city. It has been described as "politically and photographically aware", "photographing and publishing a view of a disregarded, ordinary Britain" "in a playful way".
It has self-published numerous publications in zine, newspaper and book formats, which have been included in exhibitions and are held in public collections at the Tate Library, Fotomuseum Winterthur Collection, Manchester Metropolitan University Artists’ Books Special Collection, London College of Communication Special Collection and
National Art Library
The National Art Library (NAL) is a major reference library, situated in the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), a museum of decorative arts in London. The NAL holds the UK's most comprehensive collection of both books as art and books about art, ...
.
History
Adam Murray and Robert Parkinson started Preston is My Paris to inspire interest in Preston, Lancashire, because they "noticed a distinct lack of creative work in the city and likewise work that featured the city as a focal point." Between 2009 and 2011 they self-published and gave away for free a mostly monthly series of photocopied zines with original contemporary documentary photographs, found imagery, objects and writing related to the city. They called it ''Preston is My Paris'' after a TV commercial for Clarks shoes.
Jamie Hawkesworth
Jamie Hawkesworth is a British fashion and documentary photographer.Kin Woo,, ''The New York Times'', 28 August 2017. Accessed 28 November 2017.
It went on to publish a series in zine and newspaper formats under the name Preston is My Paris Publishing "documenting aspects of Britain in a quirky English way. Inspired by the French novelist Georges Perec's interest in 'little pieces of everydayness'". It used cheap or vernacular print formats and lower end print production such as photocopying and newspaper to make them more accessible, given away for free or sold at low cost. It expanded into site-specific installations, live events, digital applications, education, writing, talks and workshops.
In 2010 it held a fashion shoot using only clothes from local shops and markets, models scouted on the street in Preston, and an empty unit in a run-down shopping centre for an ad-hoc photography studio and gallery. They used fashion imagery "because it's so widely accessible" and "also wanted to address the way the North is presented in fashion photography." Murray said "Fashion is about so much more than a few fashionable people in London, ... It's peoples' identity and self-expression." The resulting zine, ''Denim'', was considered by the '' British Journal of Photography'' to be "an arresting 14-page story".
Also in 2010 Murray, Parkinson and Haweksworth spent several weeks in Preston bus station, photographing the architecture and its community of users (mostly young disadvantaged teenagers) because it was scheduled for demolition. They set up a project space for a weekend in a disused shop there. The project engaged the community and the subsequent zine that they gave away for free, ''Preston Bus Station'', became a tool in the successful campaign to save the bus station. ''Preston Bus Station'' became collectible in the art photography scene.
Reception
Parr and Badger include ''You could be in London, You could be in Vegas, But you’re in Brierfield'' (2010) and ''Thank you for travelling with Northern Rail'' (2012) in the third volume of their photobook history. The former publication was described by '' The Daily Telegraph'' in its weekly feature highlighting a photo book. Jason Evans, writing in ''Photoworks Issue 16'', gave the project's publications and strategy a favourable review, he said it was "a refreshing position on politically and photographically aware self-publishing". ''Preston is my Paris'' was '' Dazed and Confused'' magazine's 'Zine of the Month' in February 2010.
Publications
*''Preston is my Paris.'' Zine format. Original photographs, found imagery, objects and writing related to the city of Preston. Editions of 50–75 copies.
**''Preston is my Paris: Issue 1.'' Self-published, 2009.
**''Preston is my Paris: Issue 2.'' Self-published, 2009.
**''Preston is my Paris: Issue 3.'' Self-published, 2009.
**''Preston is my Paris: Issue 4.'' Self-published, 2009.
**''Preston is my Paris: Issue 5.'' Self-published, 2009.
**''Preston is my Paris: Issue 6.'' Self-published, 2009.
**''Preston is my Paris: Issue 7.'' Self-published, 2009.
**''Preston is my Paris: Issue 8.'' Self-published, 2009.
**''Preston is my Paris: Issue 9.'' Self-published, 2010.
**''Preston is my Paris: Issue 10.''
**''Preston is my Paris: Issue 11.''
**''Preston is my Paris: Issue 12.''
**''Preston is my Paris: Issue 13.''
**''Preston is my Paris: Issue 14.''
**''Preston is my Paris: Issue 15.'' Self-published, 2011.
*''You could be in London, You could be in Vegas, But you’re in Brierfield.'' Self-published, 2010. By Adam Murray and Robert Parkinson. Photographs taken in Brierfield Working Men's Club, Brierfield, Lancashire, 31 December 2012 – 1 January 2013. Edition of 50 copies.
*''Thank you for travelling with Northern Rail.'' Self-published, 2010. By Adam Murray. Edition of 50 copies.
*''Denim.'' Self-published, 2010. Fashion photographs with clothing and models sourced in Preston over one weekend and shot in a project space in the Guild Hall Arcade, Preston. Edition of 50 copies.
*''Tokyo.'' Self-published, 2010. Photographs taken in Tokyo, Japan. Edition of 50 copies.
*''Coliseum.'' Self-published, 2010. A collection of 35 mm film found in the Coliseum cinema in Preston. Edition of 50 copies.
*''Routes 1.'' Self-published, 2010. Routes used to navigate Preston plotted and used to explore Paris. Edition of 75 copies.
*''Preston Bus Station.'' Self-published, 2010. By Adam Murray, Robert Parkinson,
Jamie Hawkesworth
Jamie Hawkesworth is a British fashion and documentary photographer.Kin Woo,, ''The New York Times'', 28 August 2017. Accessed 28 November 2017.student and lecturer protest against the proposed rise in tuition fees. Edition of 50 copies.
*''Nogent-sur-Marne.'' Self-published, 2011. Photographs taken in Nogent-sur-Marne, France, 11–12 September 2010. Edition of 50 copies.
*''Derby.'' Self-published, 2011. Photographs by Jamie Hawkesworth, Adam Murray and Robert Parkinson. Photographs taken in Derby, commissioned for Format International Photography Festival 2011. Newspaper format. Edition of 1000 copies.
*''Industria, Virtus, et Fortitudo.'' Self-published, 2011. By Jamie Hawkesworth, Adam Murray and Robert Parkinson. Photographs of people, streets and urban landscapes taken in Derby 21–23 January 2011. Accompanies ''Derby''. Edition of 100 copies.
*''In A State.'' Self-published, 2011. Photographs taken in North East America, 27 December 2010 – 7 January 2011. Edition of 50 copies.
*''Two Changes.'' Self-published, 2011. Photographs taken in East and North England, 3–6 March 2011. Edition of 50 copies.
*''Find.'' Self-published, 2011. A four publication set produced as outcome of Find project at Brighton Photo Fringe 2012. With a text by
David Campany
David Campany (born 8 October 1967) is a British writer, curator, artist and educator, working mainly with photography. He has written and edited books; contributed essays and reviews to other books, journals, magazines and websites; curated pho ...
. Edition of 50 copies.
*''PIE (Preston Institute of the Everyday): Public Transport.'' Newspaper format. Self-published, 2011.
*''M&M Line.'' Self-published, 2012. By Robert Parkinson. Photographs taken from Manchester to Llanelli, 17–20 February 2012. Edition of 50 copies.
*''Winterthur.'' Self-published, 2012. Photographs taken in Winterthur, Switzerland, 27–29 January 2012. Edition of 50 copies.
*''Road and Rail Links Between Sheffield and Manchester.'' Mass ObservationThis Mass Observation is a UK publishing company set up in 2009 by Theo Simpson and Ben Maclaughlin, not the
Mass-Observation
Mass-Observation is a United Kingdom social research project; originally the name of an organisation which ran from 1937 to the mid-1960s, and was revived in 1981 at the University of Sussex.
Mass-Observation originally aimed to record everyday ...
of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s / Preston Is My Paris, 2012. By Adam Murray and Theo Simpson. Hardback. Edition of 500 copies.
*''We don’t mind people on shoulders. Just not under the ceiling fan.'' Self-published, 2013. Photographs taken at a northern soul night, the Bird Trap, Brierfield Working Men's Club, New Year's Eve, 2012/2013. Edition of 100 copies.
*''Edith’s Scrapbook.'' Self-published, 2013. By Adam Murray. Newspaper clippings, protest posters and photographs, and written letters to the government, relating to various political protests that Mrs Edith Spalding was involved with in the 1970s and 80s, extracted from a single scrapbook.
**''Edith’s Scrapbook.'' Edition of 100 copies.
**''Edith’s Scrapbook.'' 'Protest Mix' edition with photographs, poster and audio cassette collated and assembled by Robert Parkinson and Rob Griffiths. Edition of 50 copies.
*''The North West.'' Self-published, 2015. By Adam Murray and Robert Parkinson. Edition of 200 copies.
*''The North West 2.'' Self-published, 2016. By Adam Murray and Robert Parkinson.
*''Preston is my Paris 2009–2019.'' New York: Dashwood, 2019. Photographs by Philip Aarons, Matthew Brown, Sarah Fisher, Jamie Hawkesworth, Iris Lunt, and Laurence Vecten. . Edition of 500 copies.
Other media
*''Protest Mix.'' R&R09/50. PPP, 2013. Audio cassette, 22 minutes each side of "Field Recordings".The contents are availabl here at the Preston is My Paris Soundcloud page /ref> Included with an edition of ''Edith’s Scrapbook.''
*''Preston is My Paris.'' iOS mobile app version of the zine.
*''PIE (Preston Institute of the Everyday): Public Transport.'' 2011. A mobile app version of the print publication.
*''Preston is My Paris presents PIE.'' 2011. Podcast. A soundscape relating to the subject matter of ''PIE (Preston Institute of the Everyday): Public Transport''.
Contributions to publications
*''Archizines.'' ("On Instruments for Engagement" by Adam Murray). London: Bedford Press, 2011. . Edited by Elias Redstone. Catalogue for an exhibition at
Architectural Association School of Architecture
The Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, commonly referred to as the AA, is the oldest Independent school (United Kingdom), independent school of architecture in the UK and one of the most prestigious and competitive in t ...
.A PDF copy is availabl here at the University of Central Lancashire web site /ref>
*''Art Licks Issue 7.'' ("From the North: Theo Simpson"). Art Licks, 2012. Edited by Holly Willats.
*''Art Licks Issue 8.'' ("From the North: Museum of Transport"). Art Licks, 2012. Edited by Holly Willats.
*''Art Licks Issue 9.'' ("From the North: Ayesha Jones"). Art Licks, 2012. Edited by Holly Willats.
*''Photoworks Issue 19.'' ("Preston is my Paris: Four Versions of Three Routes"). Brighton: Photoworks, 2012. Edited by Ben Burbridge and Celia Davies.
*''Photography and the Artists’ Book.'' ("PPP: Preston, Paris, Process"). Edinburgh: Museums Etc., 2012. Paperback ; hardback ; eBook . By Adam Murray and Diane Smyth. Edited by Jonathan Carson, Theresa Wilkie and Rosie Miller.
*''The Blue Notebook Journal for Artists’ Books, Vol. 6 No, 2.'' ("The Poetic Archive: Photography, Everyday Life and the Tactic of Self Publishing"). Impact Press, 2012. . Edited by Sarah Bodman.A PDF copy is availabl here at the University of Central Lancashire web site /ref>
*''Art Licks Issue 10.'' ("From the North: Manchester"). Art Licks, 2013. Edited by Holly Willats.
Exhibitions
Solo exhibitions
*2010: Guild Hall Arcade, Preston, 6–28 February 2010.
*2012: ''Four Versions of Three Routes,'' 40 site-specific street posters at various locations,
Brighton Photo Biennial
Brighton Photo Biennial (BPB), now known as Photoworks Festival, is a month-long festival of photography in Brighton, England, produced by Photoworks. The festival began in 2003 and is often held in October. It plays host to curated exhibitions a ...
, Brighton, England, 6 October – 4 November 2012. Directed by Adam Murray, photographs by
Jamie Hawkesworth
Jamie Hawkesworth is a British fashion and documentary photographer.Kin Woo,, ''The New York Times'', 28 August 2017. Accessed 28 November 2017.Photographers' Gallery
The Photographers' Gallery was founded in London by Sue Davies opening on 14 January 1971, as the first public gallery in the United Kingdom devoted solely to photography.
It is also home to the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize, established in ...
, London, 5–6 June 2010.
*2011: PIY (Publish it Yourself), :fr:Maison d'art Bernard-Anthonioz, Paris, 11–12 September 2010.
*2011: ''Archizines,''
Architectural Association School of Architecture
The Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, commonly referred to as the AA, is the oldest Independent school (United Kingdom), independent school of architecture in the UK and one of the most prestigious and competitive in t ...
, London, 5 November – 14 December 2011. Zines and video interviews with their creators.
*2011: ''Find,'' Brighton Photo Fringe Open '11, Phoenix, Brighton, 18 November – 18 December 2011. Original commission.
*2012: ''Book Days,'' Curated Tables, C/O, Berlin, 26 May 2012.
*2014: ''Everything is About to Happen,'' Greengrassi / Corvi-Mora gallery, London, 14 March – 26 April 2014.
*2014: ''Don't Stop Now: Fashion Photography Next,'' Foam Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam, Amsterdam, 11 July – 7 September 2014.
*2014: ''Everything is About to Happen'', part of ''The Library Vaccine,''
Artists Space
Artists Space is a non-profit art gallery and arts organization first established at 155 Wooster Street in Soho, New York City. Founded in 1972 by Irving Sandler and Trudie Grace and funded by the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), Artist ...
National Art Library
The National Art Library (NAL) is a major reference library, situated in the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), a museum of decorative arts in London. The NAL holds the UK's most comprehensive collection of both books as art and books about art, ...
Mass-Observation
Mass-Observation is a United Kingdom social research project; originally the name of an organisation which ran from 1937 to the mid-1960s, and was revived in 1981 at the University of Sussex.
Mass-Observation originally aimed to record everyday ...