Brian Griffin
Brian Griffin’s latest project 'Team Photo' showcases the workforce of the largest civil engineering project that the country has ever seen
One way or another, Brian Griffin has been connected with the concept of industry and work for his whole life. Born in the black country – the home of the industrial revolution – he studied photography in Manchester after which he developed a reputation for cutting-edge portrait photography through his various commissions for Management Today magazine, photographing some of the UK’s top industry leaders. In 2004 he was approached by London Continental Railways (LCR), the company tasked with building the channel tunnel extension and revamping London’s St Pancras station, who asked him to shoot a rather special project: photograph the workforce who were embarking on the largest civil engineering project the country has ever seen.
“Originally I was only approached to shoot for two and a half days, and I produced 18 portraits in my normal original style,” he told Pro recently. “The results were exhibited on the site of King’s Cross and St Pancras stations in a refurbished building called the German Gymnasium. This acted as a sort of visitors’ centre for the project, and to be honest with you, after those few days shooting I thought that was it.”
Griffin was certainly surprised then when LCR came back and asked him to continue the project. They wanted him to carry on photographing as many of the workforce as he could as time went along.
“Originally they said they wanted to increase the number of pictures to 30, and end up producing a small hardback book, but when I finally finished shooting in January this year I had shot 165 subjects, and the book that LCR are putting together has now got over 200-odd pages.”
Looking at some of the pictures Griffin shot during this time, we’re sure that many Pro readers will be straight down to Waterstones to reserve a copy of the book Teamphoto, but before you get your coat on, prepare for some bad news. The book will be a strictly limited edition affair; LCR is not making it available to the public. It’ll only be giving them away to the management, companies and workers who were involved with the project directly. Oh, and one for the Queen. This is something that Griffin and his co-workers are not too happy about: “We were all saying ‘Oh no!’, as it seems such as shame.
Thankfully, Greg Horton, the art director and designer of the book, and I managed to persuade LCR to produce a cut-down, softback version as a catalogue to an exhibition of the prints that will open on 18 September. It will contain the 60 pictures that we have short-listed for the show, and will be available to purchase in shops.”
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