I love British documentary photography, especially those of the late 80’s. The climate of the island seems to favour an abstruse mixture of abruption and heartiness that is hard to find elsewhere.
Books like Martin Parr’s “The Last Resort” (1986), Paul Graham’s “Beyond Caring” (1986) and naturally Nick Waplington’s famous “Living Room” (1991) come across my mind.
Not similarly well-known, but just as beautiful, is Paul Reas’ “I Can Help” (1988).
Paul Reas throws a critical view on the British middle class, stuffed with a lot of empathy. Consumption shapes all areas of life: families in the supermarket, new shopping malls and show houses of new building settlements on the green belt.
Paul Reas’ book shows us with his hearts blood a bygone, more naive section of a stampede which is still running: Buy! Go! Go! Go!
