This is an ongoing project documenting the British boot sale. In short, it’s a kitsch reflection of today’s throwaway society.
I find interest in boot sales as it seems to incorporate a distinct selection of what would be called British society. Here you have the working class in all their glory trying to sell off old stuff to make a few quid. Amongst the makeshift pasting table stalls you find an array of objects that would be deemed worthless. But at some point, they were of value and could well be again if bought for 50p!
Alongside this you’ll find eclectic people selling and roaming the stalls, sharing their collections or looking for bargains. I try to find the possessions and people that represent these places and bring them to light in photography.
I want to show people our throwaway culture that is steadily destroying the world we live in. Why did we need these products? What would happen if we had one or even ten less plastic toys, or ceramic plates! We are all conditioned to buy more, get a new version or change the décor. The environmental impact of this is immense and with 7.5 billion people in the world and an estimated 1 billion more in the next decade, this practice will have to stop if we are to live in an environmentally sustainable way. So, I suppose, in my own funny way, I want to document this, for people to look back on in years to come.
If you’re not going to do anything about it, if I’m not, if we won’t hold our governments, supermarkets, car companies the media etc to account for what’s going on, then we might as well look on and laugh at it. Laugh at what we buy, laugh at what we still want for 50p, be fascinated to the culture you might feel you’re not part of. That’s what this project is about and let’s just see where this throwaway culture goes.
If you would to sponsor this project for a book or exhibition, please contact me.
