We are delighted to welcome talented photographers Lydia Morris’ exhibition “Other Lives: a selection of photographs across time and place” to the Harwich Arts & Heritage Centre in October. Join us from 15th October for this amazing free exhibition.
I am an academic by training and profession, and my job is Professor of Sociology at the University of Essex. My interest in photography was prompted by a simple curiosity about other people and places, rather than featuring as part of my academic research. However, this retrospective exhibition of pictures taken over many years of travel (in both colour and black and white) can nevertheless be viewed through a sociological lens. The pictures cover a variety of cultures and countries (Mexico, Thailand, India, Nepal, Morocco), but all show people engaged in the ordinary pursuits of their daily life. Not always taken under the best conditions and certainly not always with perfect clarity, these images have usually been caught in action, with many depicting scenes of work, and highlighting the skills and concentration that are evident in common tasks – though occasionally the pictures catch a scene of contemplation. Taken as a whole, they reflect the varied ways that people occupy their position in society, often with a quiet dignity, and always displaying some aspect of our common human condition. This was not a conscious theme that guided my endeavour in taking the pictures, but is what I see now when I look back over this selection of some of my favourite images.
I am grateful to George Fossey for his advice in the selection of the pictures and for his work in producing the prints.
Lydia Morris
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