Homage to W.G. Grace

This series of self-portraits could be read as an ironic posturing; an unknown ex-cricketer (myself) poses as a famous, deceased ex-cricketer (W.G. Grace).  It is both absurd and humorous at once, engaging in role-playing through a sequence of images that hint at a narrative.  My love for the game could account for the choice of subject matter.  The images hold an air of formality associated with the poses found in nineteenth century portrait photography, but the irony lies beneath the surface.

There is no sign of other cricketers, umpires or an audience. Our subject is steeped in his nostalgia for a more glorious past, when he was a 'legend' of the game. 

Photographer Chris Saunders and I worked meticulously on these poses, and we vowed to shoot on film only- as an exercise in purism. 

Without the expertise of the darkroom expert, Dennis da Silva, who developed and printed all four images, this project would not have been possible.

The cricket bat was used to document our manifesto, which I screen printed onto the playing surface.