The beauty of the everyday - Interview with ‘The Stockport Collection’ photographer Heidi Alexander
Stockport Nub News spoke to Heidi Alexander, the photographic artist behind The Stockport Collection, on the one-year anniversary of her first exhibition at Where the Light Gets In. Since published in a print book, the bulk of the physical collection now resides in the Stockport Museum.
It was with keen curiosity and a few days to spare that The Stockport Collection found its way onto a film camera.
On three occasions in 1976-77, photographer Heidi Alexander travelled from Stirling University to visit the Stockport markets. With her Leica M4 camera in hand ("I always take my camera", she says), Alexander snapped this remarkable collection, which has since been published in a book, exhibited, and written about extensively.
Like a freak archaeological discovery, these pictures were rediscovered almost by accident. After their creation in 1976, the photographs remained out of sight and out of mind until Alexander found them again in 2020 and published them on social media.
The pictures immediately began to gain traction. With an article written in The Guardian shortly after in 2021, followed by the exhibition hosted at Where the Light Gets In last year, the collection blew up; "it felt like constantly playing catch-up", Alexander says of the ensuing period. "The collection developed a life of its own […] With every day of the exhibition there was someone crying." It seemed to have exceeded all expectations.
"With every day of the exhibition there was someone crying"
Perhaps this is because those expectations were disarmingly un-grandiose from the beginning. "These were never taken with the aim of becoming grand monuments to posterity", Alexander humbly admits. "Really, it was nosiness! I was born in Switzerland and raised by American parents, so Northern English culture was completely new to me."
For the local viewer, feeling the same sense of novelty for a rainy industrial town nestled in the Pennine foothills might be difficult, even with the mystifying effect of time distance.
The real magic seems to come from how the elusive, quiet beauty of the everyday and ordinary is captured; in a picture of a person under an awning, suddenly the human condition is there in all its dazzling complexity.
"Finding beauty everywhere was something my father talked about a lot", she says. Alexander's father, himself a photographer who also held exhibitions, has evidently had an influence on her work through this idea.
During our chat, Alexander describes a shaft of light entering the house, recalls the perfect imperfection of somebody's expression, as well as a skein of small remarks and reactions which she remembers from the 1976 trip. It is evident that she finds and remembers this 'ordinary' beauty as a matter of course.
She also describes her interest in capturing reposes, again with a similar affection for the normal. "I love faces and expressions […] I try to capture the 'essence' of people." The collection excels in finding this 'essence' – often invisible to the naked eye – and frames it, and in doing so infuses an ostensibly ordinary character with depth and richness. The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows ascribes the word 'sonder' to this feeling.
In pursuing the essence, the 'suggestion' of someone, Alexander spoke of being inspired by her artist sister's skill in implying the essence of somebody with a few pencil strokes. Photography is somewhat similar; "The photograph is a representation, but something more", she says. Family history, then, is partly responsible for keeping a camera in Alexander's hands.
Speaking of how to capture this elusive 'essence', like all artists, she was unable to put her finger on it. Having an eye is important, but the thought of, "Ooh, I hope I've got that", is always there, she says. What drew her to the market was the number of subjects, and particularly the number of stationary subjects, many of them market traders. It is easier to capture people when they are busy manning stalls and doing business.
"The photograph is a representation, but something more"
Gathering shots is still something of a lottery. When it comes to the otherworldly, mysterious task of capturing on camera the same depth and beauty we see with our eyes, some rolls are full of hits, others mostly feature misses, she says.
And what was taking those shots in the market like back then? "It was incredibly busy. You needed sharp elbows just to get around", Alexander says. "There were people standing on objects and stall owners running competitions amongst themselves on who could sell the most." The sheer volume of people and the spectacle of the market is indeed one of the things which many viewers found most remarkable, particularly with such scenes being more rare today.
The photographer also talks about the importance of being sociable. Admittedly never a fan of sticking a camera in peoples' faces unsolicited, she recalls introducing herself and smiling always. "Most people are friendly."
Over 40 of the prints are now housed at the Stockport Museum on Market Place. They continue to attract visitors; older residents reliving memories, tourists, or young photography enthusiasts appreciating what has since become a 'pure' example of film in an environment dominated by digital. All visitors are enamoured for different reasons; the beauty of the ordinary being one reason among many.
This has not been the first word on The Stockport Collection, nor will it be the last. Three years after the original social media posting, identities and memories are still emerging. The one Alexander is particularly keen to discover is the name of the little girl at the top of this article: 'Folded Arms'.
Those who wish to purchase a copy of The Stockport Collection print book are advised to contact Heidi Alexander directly HERE. At more or less the same price as online outlets, buyers can receive a signed copy.
Heidi Alexander's website, containing more photos from The Stockport Collection, further portfolios, and additional information, can be found HERE.
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