In 1977 artist and photographer John Goto took an iconic series of photos known as Lovers Rock featuring young people in the London Borough of Lewisham.
41 years on a new series of photos is being created celebrating young people who live, work or are studying in Lewisham right now.
A selection of Goto's photos along with this new series taken by renowned photographer Des Willie will form a landmark exhibition "Then & Now" due to take place in Lewisham this October.
Scroll down to find out more about John Goto and Des Willie.
This exhibition is important because it will bring the whole community together to:
- Celebrate the identity, creativity and potential of young people in Lewisham both then and now, and provide a positive alternative story to the negative press young people have historically received.
- Discover, celebrate and remember Lewisham's important part in the creation of a unique musical movement, and the lives of the young people behind it.
- Listen to the voices of young people today and provide an audience for them to showcase their music and design talents.
Why are we crowdfunding?
We're crowdfunding to ensure that the community elements of the exhibition are as inclusive and affordable as possible.
Your support will mean:
- The cost of visiting the exhibition is kept to below £4 and is free to anyone under 26 or on benefits. We hope to make the exhibition free to everyone.
- We can bring local artists, photographers, crafting experts, residents and social historians to the exhibition to lead fun and accessible interactive workshops and talks to increase knowledge and creativity and to start discussion and debate.
- We can work with NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) young people from the borough using the exhibition as a springboard to help them improve their life skills.
- We can create space for visitors to share their own stories and memories.
- We can make sure that as many people as possible hear about the project by producing flyers for distribution across the borough and beyond.
We've registered to be eligible for Lewisham Council's Small Faith & Community Fund. This means that your comments and donations, however small, will massively increase the likelihood that Lewisham will back the project and help us reach our target.
Thank you for your help. It's great to know you support the project. If you can't donate, please spread the word by commenting on it and sharing this project on social media #then&nowlewisham. Can't wait to see you at the exhibition!
Follow the project on twitter and instagram or find us on facebook .
Got any questions, would like to know more about sponsorship or how to volunteer to help with the project ? Please contact Katherine at [email protected] .
Extract from an interview with John Goto given to Photomonitor in 2013:
Some words from John Goto describing how he came to take the now iconic 1977 Lovers Rock series. All photos strictly copyright of John Goto:
The series grew out of my daily life. I wasn’t parachuted into the context by a commissioning agency, rather I was a hard-up young artist who taught photography evening classes for two years at a local youth centre, to help supplement my income and support my family. But I also really enjoyed the work. The young people were a mixed group of working-class kids and the lessons informal and improvisational. We had a few East German Praktica cameras and a small darkroom in a store cupboard. I soon realised the best way to engage the students was to follow their interests, which were mostly in photographing each other. The common ground between us became portraiture, which interested me too, although I hadn’t had much experience with the genre.
On Friday evenings there were occasional dances. Huge sound systems were brought in and I remember the physical impact of the baselines vibrating through the floor. Most of the attendees were regular members of the youth centre, though not all. In early ’77 my life was about to change as I’d been offered a British Council scholarship to study photography in Paris, and this motivated me to try and resolve these pictures before I left. I set up a makeshift studio in a room adjacent to the dancehall where I photographed the young people, readied for their evening out. So the motivation wasn’t for posterity, career or money, it was because I thought it the artist’s job to tell of their time, as best they could, and this was a part of my time.
Please support Then & Now with a small donation before you leave, because telling of our time is as important now as it was then. Thank you.
Time to meet Des Willie the photographer behind the amazing new series of photographs of young people who live, work or study in Lewisham right now. Here's a 30 second interview with the man himself:
1) Hi Des, you're the photographer behind the "Now" series of photographs for the Then & Now project. How long have you been a professional photographer for and how did you get into it?
I’ve been a professional photographer for about 25 years now.
I didn’t study photography originally, but after doing a plethora of different things in my 20s thought I’d better do SOMETHING. I’d always taken pictures, so went back to college part time, then assisted, then started out shooting musicians.
2) What camera do you use?
I use all sorts of cameras but mainly Nikon’s.
3) Can you describe a normal day as a professional photographer?
There is no normal day. Most of my work these days is on film sets. Early starts, late finishes. Last job: Met assistant at my kit store at 7am. Loaded car, drove to location, unloaded kit, parked car. Set up studio in ‘green room’ Shot a bit of actuality. Used to have to use a sound limiting ‘blimp’ on set but the newest Nikon D850 can shoot silently. Get first setup shot at about 9 am, last set up shot at 9pm. Through the day, shooting, downloading, backing up, rough comping to see what final pic is going to look like and as a guide for the designers. Pack up, drive kit back to store, got home about 11pm then spent an hour and a half processing pix for early delivery next day.
Other days are shorter than this, some are longer.
4) What's been your favourite job recently?
Favourite job recently was probably working on BBC/Netflix drama Black Earth Rising with Michaela Coel.
5) Could we see some examples of your work?
6) You've been working on Then & Now in your spare time. What attracted you to developing the project with Made in Lewisham?
I was excited by the project from the get go. As well as enjoying taking photographs, I am passionate about photography. When Made in Lewisham showed me John Goto's book I went and bought it immediately. Stuff like this is really important as a record and document but also to help work out who we are. Especially in the current climate.
7) You've just done a shoot at Lewisham People's Day. How did that go?
The shoot we have just done was HOT. We were in a blackout tent on the hottest day of the year. The lights were overheating, the laptop slowed down I think because of the heat and I was sweating like a P.I.G. Which was nice for the subjects. It went very well though, the sitters we got were great.
8) You certainly seem passionate about the project, why do you think people should back Then & Now?
I think Then and Now should be backed because it is important to record what ‘nowadays’ looks like. I would like to think another photographer and team might pick the baton up and do it again forty years from now.
9) What's your favourite landmark or place in Lewisham?
My favourite place is probably Beckenham Place Park. I play golf and used to play here a lot so I was aghast when I heard the course was closing, but having visited a few times since the redevelopment started and seen the plans for it, I think it’s going to be a fantastic open space.
Don't go without donating! Every little helps to bring this important community celebration to Lewisham. Thank you.