About

Architecture came first. Frantic study in Plymouth. Modernism consumed. Walter Gropius and Bauhaus. Le Corbusier, Aldo Rossi. Mies Van de Rohe.
Frank Lloyd Wright, Charles Rennie Mackintosh and William Morris added craft.
Edward Hopper and Francis Bacon gave colour.
Living In Newcastle, it’s powerful industrial past evident everywhere. Charismatic and hard. History and documentary on the streets, opening the magical door to photography.
Henri Cartier Bresson, Andre Kertesz, Robert Doisneau. Capa and McCullin all showed at The Side Gallery and it’s vaudevillian cinema played Max Ophuls, Nicolas Ray, Alain Resnais and Bergman.
Gary Winogrand, Lee Freidlander, Harry Callahan and Bruce Davidson’s photography led to a fascination with independent film.
Antonioni, Bertolucci, Rossolini. Then Goddard, Truffaut, Cassavetes, Woody Allen, Scorsese and Coppola.

These fabulous influences shaped an extraordinary two years of study at the Royal College of Art. Experimental and without boundaries. Pure artistic thought.

African rhythms came next to accompany the short films.
Thomas Mapfumo, Hugh Masakela and Fela Kuti, leading inevitably to Jazz.
Miles Davis, Coltrane, Don Cherry, Keith Jarrett.
Later photographing Herbie Hancock at a dark urban location for his Japanese record label, he spoke about his fascinating experience with Antonioni in London 1968 making ‘Blow-Up’ for which he wrote the soundtrack.

The Hip Hop scene, rave culture, electronic dance music, drum and bass. Photographing Shy FX and T Power feeling the new energy of culturally significant music. It all came together.
Photography, film, music, architecture, the abstract deconstructed photo based large scale works, street art projects. The wonder never stops.

Pete Williams