We English
Simon Roberts
Boot
English
Essay by Stephen Daniels
Hardcover
112 Pages
305 x 365 mm
2009
ISBN 9781905712144
Simon Roberts travelled across England in a motorhome between 2007 and 2008 for this portfolio of large-format tableaux photographs of the English at leisure. We English builds on his first major body of work, Motherland (2005), with the same themes of identity, memory and belonging resonating throughout. Photographing ordinary people engaged in diverse pastimes, Roberts aims to show a populace with a profound attachment to its local environment and homeland. He explores the notion that nationhood – that what it means to be English – is to be found on the surface of contemporary life, encapsulated by banal pastimes and everyday leisure activities. The resulting images are an intentionally lyrical rendering of a pastoral England, where Roberts finds beauty in the mundane and in the exploration of the relationship between people and place, and of our connections to the landscapes around us.
(source: https://www.simoncroberts.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/We-English-reviews.pdf)
About the Artist
Simon Roberts (b.1974) is a visual artist based in Brighton, UK. Widely recognised for his large-format, tableaux photographs of the British landscape, his practice also encompasses video, text and installation work, which together, interrogate notions of identity and belonging, and the complex relationship between history, place and culture.
simoncroberts.com
(source: https://www.simoncroberts.com/information/)
About the Publisher
Boot Press run by Chris Boot acquired by Phaidon Press.
Phaidon is the premier global publisher of the creative arts. We work with the world’s most influential authors to produce innovative books on art, photography, design, architecture, fashion, food, and travel, and illustrated books for children. Phaidon has a long and distinguished history as an art-book publisher with over 1,500 titles in print.
phaidon.com
(source: https://www.phaidon.com/about-phaidon/)
