A Portrait of the High Street @ Prescot Town Centre
Exhibiting at Prescot High Street 48-50 Market Place and 4-6 and 12 Eccleston Street from 25 July
Exhibiting at Shakespeare North Playhouse from 13 August
Picturing England’s High Streets is a three-year project, which is part of the national cultural programme for High Streets Heritage Action Zones. Prescot was selected as one of only six High Streets Heritage Action Zones across the country to host a residency as part of Picturing England’s High Streets.
Between 2021-2024, as the photographer-in-residence for Prescot, Tony Mallon is working with emerging photographer Lucy Hunter in engaging local communities to reimagine the high street and create a contemporary portrait of England’s high streets. A selection of images produced will become part of the Historic England Archive.
To celebrate the end of the first year of the commission, two exhibitions are taking place in Prescot. Tony Mallon has been meeting with local residents for monthly ‘photography memory fair’ sessions and through various local public fairs, using donated archival and personal family album pictures to discuss the rich history of the area. You can also see a selection of images donated from the community and local archives on display so far, throughout the local high street on the exterior of a number of buildings along Market Place and Eccleston Street.
Meanwhile, at Shakespeare North Playhouse, Lucy Hunter presents work made with children from Prescot Primary School through archive imagery and their own photography.
The pupils have been investigating their own perspective on the area and exploring the layers and textures of the High Street, often discovering parts that we might miss at first glance. In doing so they have repurposed the space, using it as a source of inspiration and a newfound playground.
The children have participated in workshops, group photo walks and even produced their own panorama drawing of the high street. The group were also interested in how they position themselves within this community through a series of portraiture based works, playfully overlaying their own image within the backdrop of their local high street.
This exhibition invites you to create your own portrait within the high street, by striking a pose in front of our projection display and using your own camera or smart phone to capture the image.
More about the Programme
Picturing England’s High Streets is a three-year commission within the High Streets Heritage Action Zones Cultural Programme, led by Historic England in partnership with National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Arts Council England as part of the High Streets Heritage Action Zones initiative funded by the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
This project is commissioned with partners Open Eye Gallery, Shakespeare North Playhouse, Knowsley Council and national partners Photoworks.
About the Prescot High Street Heritage Action Zone
Prescot was selected as one of over 60 high streets to benefit from the High Streets Heritage Action Zone project in 2020. The £3.1 million heritage-led regeneration programme will see major investment from Knowsley Council and Historic England into a number of key projects in Prescot town centre. In addition, Prescot will see a series of cultural events as part of the HSHAZ Cultural Programme Local Grants, as delivered by the Prescot Cultural Consortium, led by The Shakespeare North Playhouse.
Image: A portrait of the High Street, Lucy Hunter and Year 5 pupils from Prescot Primary School
Exhibiting at Prescot High Street 48-50 Market Place and 4-6 and 12 Eccleston Street from 25 July
Exhibiting at Shakespeare North Playhouse from 13 August
Picturing England’s High Streets is a three-year project, which is part of the national cultural programme for High Streets Heritage Action Zones. Prescot was selected as one of only six High Streets Heritage Action Zones across the country to host a residency as part of Picturing England’s High Streets.
Between 2021-2024, as the photographer-in-residence for Prescot, Tony Mallon is working with emerging photographer Lucy Hunter in engaging local communities to reimagine the high street and create a contemporary portrait of England’s high streets. A selection of images produced will become part of the Historic England Archive.
To celebrate the end of the first year of the commission, two exhibitions are taking place in Prescot. Tony Mallon has been meeting with local residents for monthly ‘photography memory fair’ sessions and through various local public fairs, using donated archival and personal family album pictures to discuss the rich history of the area. You can also see a selection of images donated from the community and local archives on display so far, throughout the local high street on the exterior of a number of buildings along Market Place and Eccleston Street.
Meanwhile, at Shakespeare North Playhouse, Lucy Hunter presents work made with children from Prescot Primary School through archive imagery and their own photography.
The pupils have been investigating their own perspective on the area and exploring the layers and textures of the High Street, often discovering parts that we might miss at first glance. In doing so they have repurposed the space, using it as a source of inspiration and a newfound playground.
The children have participated in workshops, group photo walks and even produced their own panorama drawing of the high street. The group were also interested in how they position themselves within this community through a series of portraiture based works, playfully overlaying their own image within the backdrop of their local high street.
This exhibition invites you to create your own portrait within the high street, by striking a pose in front of our projection display and using your own camera or smart phone to capture the image.
More about the Programme
Picturing England’s High Streets is a three-year commission within the High Streets Heritage Action Zones Cultural Programme, led by Historic England in partnership with National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Arts Council England as part of the High Streets Heritage Action Zones initiative funded by the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
This project is commissioned with partners Open Eye Gallery, Shakespeare North Playhouse, Knowsley Council and national partners Photoworks.
About the Prescot High Street Heritage Action Zone
Prescot was selected as one of over 60 high streets to benefit from the High Streets Heritage Action Zone project in 2020. The £3.1 million heritage-led regeneration programme will see major investment from Knowsley Council and Historic England into a number of key projects in Prescot town centre. In addition, Prescot will see a series of cultural events as part of the HSHAZ Cultural Programme Local Grants, as delivered by the Prescot Cultural Consortium, led by The Shakespeare North Playhouse.
Image: A portrait of the High Street, Lucy Hunter and Year 5 pupils from Prescot Primary School