Over The Threshold – Photographers’ Soho project features 70 people from heart of the area

Published: 13th May, 2011

TWO intrepid photographers who set out to document the lives of residents in one of Westminster’s most exciting areas will see their work go on show next week. 

Rebecca French and Andrew Mottershead, who were commissioned by the Photographer’s Gallery in Ramillies Street off Oxford Street, spent four weeks meeting people who live and work in Soho and photographing them for a new exhibition, Over The Threshold.

“Everybody knows the bars and cafés of Soho, but the residents are invisible,” said Mr Mottorshead. “We wanted to understand what really goes on behind the doors of the area, and that means understanding the mundane things. We held meetings with all the residents, and a lot of them mentioned the same things, in terms of what they loved and hated about the area. We realised that though there was such a variety of people living in the area, a very familiar seam ran through their experiences.”

The exhibition is part of the gallery’s Soho Project, which aims to go beyond street level to uncover what goes on in people’s lives. We want to photograph things like putting the kids to bed, cooking in the kitchen, sitting in the garden – normal things.” said Ms French.

“We think that’s the really interesting bit. We put flyers through lots of doors, and eventually all the hard work paid off. Before, I knew Soho as a punter – as a place for drinking and shopping – but now I can see it’s so much more. The residents were delighted because they felt that they were being made visible. There were so many things that people love about living in Soho, from the urban element to the sound of the horse hooves from the Household Cavalry waking them up in the morning.”

Around 70 residents were photographed for the show, which is at 1 Berwick Street from May 19-22 while the Photographer’s Gallery undergoes a £8.7million redevelopment project.