Tale of Two Streets presents the people and places of Coventry, asking you to be curious about who we are as a city and to join a conversation about who we should become.
Explore two of Coventry's most notable streets in a site-specific set of exhibitions
During 2018, Niall McDiarmid photographed the people of Far Gosford Street in Coventry, an area of diverse tastes and cultures. At the same time, a team of ten graduate photographers from Coventry University immersed themselves around the Foleshill Road, exploring the private and public lives in the private and public spaces of the area. From May 1st until June 2nd 2019, these works will be shown in site-specific exhibitions across Coventry, creating a trail to explore two of Coventry's most notable streets.
What is it to understand a place? It's a difficult task. Return to a place you think you know well. Look closer and you begin to unpick a story.
Photography gives a different form of literacy from writing, offering a chance to capture the connection between people and place. Niall McDiarmid's street portraits do just that: we see the locals, their apparel, the effect on them of the rain or wind - but, we also see the background, lines of brickwork, a window frame, street or shop signage. The connections we make between the sitter and their place begins to evolve into a story, and we can become familiar with the unknown.
The Project
Tale of Two Streets will see the photographers renewing our understanding of two great streets in Coventry: the Foleshill Road and Far Gosford Street. Alongside Niall McDiarmid's work, ten photographers from Coventry University used their personal perspectives to capture the Foleshill Road and its surrounding landscapes, with each photographer focusing on a different aspect of the space.
Each set of photographs gives us a new imagination of the locale that it is representing, looking at the Tale of Two Streets through a new lens in which to view the places that we encounter and experience each day. Every piece reminds us of the necessity of art to show the connection between the given moment and our spiritual, natural and emotional lives. These photographs showcase how the mundane, ordinary spaces that we call home are connected to the great questions about why we are where we are.
The Exhibition
Tale of Two Streets will be exhibited from May 1st until June 2nd 2019. Each set of photographs will be displayed in a site-specific location, creating a trail of exhibitions across the city. The audience can use this exhibition map to navigate their way around the sites, allowing them to become immersed in the local places and communities that are represented in the photography.
Opening Times
Exhibited from May 1st until June 2nd
The Herbert Art Gallery and Museum Jordan Wl, Coventry CV1 5QP
- Mon — Sat 9:30AM — 6PM
- Sun 10AM — 4PM
FarGo Village Market Hall Far Gosford St, Coventry CV1 5ED
- Wed — Fri 10:30AM — 6PM
- Sat 9:30AM — 6PM
- Sun 10AM — 4PM
Please note that the Market Hall is usually closed on Monday and Tuesday as the businesses in the Hall are also shut at these times
Bodyworx Gym 607a Foleshill Rd, Coventry CV6 5JR
- Mon — Fri 6AM — 1AM
- Sat 8AM — 6PM
- Sun 10AM — 4PM
St Paul's Church 346 Foleshill Rd, Coventry CV6 5AJ
- Mon 10AM — 12Noon
- Wed 10AM — 12Noon
- Sat — Sun 10AM — 12Noon
Except Bank Holidays
Below, you can view the work of the photographers involved, with the numbers reflecting the sites in which the individual displays can be found on the exhibition map. The main site at Greyfriars Green will display work from all of the photographers involved.
Selected Gallery
