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Drivers in the 1980s (Photo Book 6)

by Chris Dorley-Brown

Photographs: Chris Dorley-Brown

Publisher: Hoxton Mini Press

96 pages

Year: 2015

ISBN: 978-0-9576998-9-2

Price: 16 €

Comments: hardcover, quarter-bound, gold foiled,145 x 205mm

Book 6 from the series 'East London Photo Stories'

Chris Dorley-Brown spent two summers in the mid 1980s photographing drivers stuck in traffic jams in and around East London. This series was his first on colour film and was created when he intended to document the privitisation of Rolls Royce but instead became fascinated by the faces in the traffic caused by the sell-off in the city. The cars, colours, haircuts and expressions of frustration capture the mood and tone of a unique era in Thatcher's Britain.

The images, all shot on film of course, have aged like a fine wine and are now ready to be consumed by the discerning connoisseur.

Chris Dorley-Brown’s family has lived in Hackney and Bethnal Green for nearly 200 years. His great-great-grandfather worked as a herbalist near Well Street and subsequent ancestors have included hat makers, ambulance drivers, publicans, landladies, layabouts, lightermen and aldermen. The inspiration for Chris’s pictures and films are the people and places, friends and family he has encountered in this ever-changing and challenging environment.

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