Output details

Findings

Findings is series of 50 colour photographs documenting the industrial past of Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter and Colmore business district. Hunter investigated their history and heritage as world centres of manufacturing and jewellery making. The images explore the, usually hidden, interior worlds of these areas, capturing these through long exposures using a large format pinhole camera. This technique echoes that of early photographic pioneers, which make up a large proportion of the Birmingham Library archive, which was the starting point for this project.

The photographic prints were mounted on exhibition boards and displayed outdoors in the Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter and Colmore business district. In doing this, what is normally hidden behind the closed doors of the factories and businesses is revealed to a wide and varied audience. Over a period of three months in 2013 over 1.38 million people viewed the exhibition. ‘Findings’ builds on Hunter’s practice of exploring neighbourhoods through their people, buildings and social history.

Findings was a partnership project developed by GRAIN at the Library of Birmingham with Colmore Business District and the Jewellery Quarter, supported by Arts Council England, Birmingham City University and Metro Imaging. The project was one of GRAIN’s first commissions, timetabled to promote the re-opening of the new Birmingham library building. The work was acquired by the Birmingham Central Library Photography archive.