These Walls Tell Stories was a professionally curated exhibition of photography drawn from my 5-year documentary commission of the Hat District heritage regeneration project for The Culture Trust, Luton.
Luton in Bedfordshire was for many years since the 17th Century the centre of the UK’s hat-making industry. As trends, production techniques and global trade evolved, the industry eventually compacted.
Whilst Luton still has some specialised hat suppliers and manufacturers, many beautiful buildings were left in disrepair or under-utilised.
The Culture Trust Luton had the vision to continue this process of adaptation and reinvention with a focus on generating an eco-system of spaces to attract and support creative industries.
A programme of restorations and refurbishment, to be known as The Hat District, incorporated spaces to be known as Hat Factory, Hat House, Hat Works and in due course a new-build, Hat Studios.
My 5-year commission covered documenting the spaces before, during and after, alongside the process of specialised work and industries.
This exhibition, incorporating a mixture of framed images and wall-prints, presented in a Wolfgang Tillmans style, focuses on capturing details and abstract elements pre-restoration. The patterns created by the diverse materials and building layout as it starts to change
These Walls Tell Stories in collaboration with The Culture Trust and presented by Matthew Shaul of Departure Lounge, took place at The Storefront in Luton (an old hat factory showroom) between 30 Nov and 21 December 2018.
