Shot in Soho
Exhibition investigating Soho as a geographic area and a cultural and political phenomenon through photography.
- Submitting institution
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Kingston University
- Unit of assessment
- 32 - Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory
- Output identifier
- 32-93-1111
- Type
- M - Exhibition
- Venue(s)
- The Photographers’ Gallery, London
- Open access status
- -
- Month of first exhibition
- October
- Year of first exhibition
- 2019
- URL
-
-
- Supplementary information
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- Request cross-referral to
- -
- Output has been delayed by COVID-19
- No
- COVID-19 affected output statement
- -
- Forensic science
- No
- Criminology
- No
- Interdisciplinary
- No
- Number of additional authors
-
-
- Research group(s)
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- Proposed double-weighted
- Yes
- Double-weighted statement
- Julian Rodriguez’s research for Shot in Soho commenced in March 2015 and was completed in October 2019, with a simultaneous exhibition opening and book publication. As the first research project to map Soho from a photographic perspective, Shot in Soho necessitated extensive primary source research at multiple archives, including those of the City of Westminster; Victoria & Albert Museum; News UK; Mirrorpix; Francis Bacon Foundation, Monaco; and The Klein Archive, Paris, which uncovered missing works by Klein. Furthermore, Rodriguez conducted numerous interviews with newspaper editors, photojournalists and collectors, as well as members of Soho’s local community through multiple site visits.
- Reserve for an output with double weighting
- No
- Additional information
- SHOT IN SOHO (2019–20) was the first-ever exhibition to investigate Soho as a geographic area and a cultural and political phenomenon through photography. Photography and film researcher Rodriguez was invited to curate the exhibition by Brett Rogers, Director of The Photographers’ Gallery.
Rodriguez developed the exhibition concept and co-curated the exhibition with Karen McQuaid, Senior Curator, The Photographers’ Gallery. Rodriguez and McQuaid co-edited the accompanying book, SHOT IN SOHO, which includes an essay by Rodriguez that positions Soho photography since 1900, and co-authored photographer profiles by McQuaid and Rodriguez. The curators also commissioned a Super 8mm film about Soho, and Rodriguez led on a large-scale photographic installation at Ramillies Street, Soho.
SHOT IN SOHO involved a four-year research period, during which Rodriguez undertook research in archives such as Mirrorpix in Hertfordshire, News UK Archive and the Stanley Kubrick Archive, both in London, and Historic England Archive (online); as well as conducting interviews, street walks of Soho, and a film and literature review.
The exhibition was timed to reflect on the accelerating gentrification of Soho. SHOT IN SOHO constituted a contribution to both the history of photography and Soho’s socio-cultural history. The research identified 152 photographers of note, who worked in Soho, including new bodies of work by well-known photographers, as well as bringing to light the work of previously unknown photographers. It uncovered the area’s reputation for counterculture, manufacture, crime, gangsters, the sex industry, fashion, diverse communities and Soho’s own local inhabitants. The exhibition recognised Soho as a prototype for a multicultural, open London, and the research confirmed the importance of certain characters to the fabric and notoriety of the area. It was extensively reviewed, including for The Guardian, The Sunday Times, Time Out, The Face, London Live, BBC World Service and Radio London.
- Author contribution statement
- -
- Non-English
- No
- English abstract
- -
