About the project... "This project was originally conceived as a show to coincide with the close of the 20th century, a century characterised by ideological struggle and global conflict. In particular, the events of 1939-45 and the consequent reshaping of international borders at the end of WW2 can be seen as defining the modern world. |
"For an increasing percentage of the population ‘the war’ seems more myth than reality. Our understanding is coloured through school history lessons, representations in cinema, television dramas and documentaries. Without having lived through the experience, or even remotely similar circumstances, it is impossible to fully imagine.
"The people featured in this exhibition were photographed between January 1999 and March 2001. They are perhaps unremarkable in that they were at the time simply my neighbours, relatives, friends and acquaintances, or perhaps relatives of friends and colleagues. What connected these people was a common experience. For them the war was not myth but memory, a kind of collective consciousness, an essential part of their lives. "Accompanying each image is a selected, abridged transcript taken directly from a recorded conversation between myself and the subject giving a first hand account of their individual wartime experiences. "It is a sad but inevitable fact that since the original conception and first presentation of this work a number of these remarkable people are no longer with us. It is in my view perhaps even more important to value their contributions, and I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to work with them" Duncan Shepherd 2014 |
About the artist... Duncan Shepherd is a photographer and educator living and working on the south coast of the United Kingdom. Duncan graduated in 1986 from West Surrey College of Art and Design and in 1991 completed an MA in Photographic Studies at Derbyshire College of Higher Education. Visit Artist's Homepage - www.duncanshepherd.co.uk |