Fab Collective unveil their photographic records at Liverpool church

Aug 3 2009 by Laura Davis, Chester Chronicle

INITIALLY they were strangers, individually capturing the same city. Then they started putting their pictures online and discovered there were others like them, recording Liverpool people, places and events each with a different eye but with a common purpose.

In January, one of them decided to arrange a get-together and the Fab Collective was born – a photography group that encompasses a wide range of ages, tastes and experience.

“We all met through Flickr,” explains founder member Andy O’Hare.

“I hadn’t physically met anyone until that day in January at the Everyman Bistro.

“There were about 40 of us there and most people have stuck with the group.”

Fab, named after the ice lolly as a pun on the international photo agency Magnum, is holding its inaugural exhibition at St Luke’s “bombed out” Church in Liverpool city centre.

The collective chose a selection of quotations about the city, from famous people and members of the public, and then each created a single image that suited one of the sentences. The exhibition reflects the diverse styles and personalities in the group, with photographs ranging from the waterfront at sunset to a homeless man sleeping outside a strip club.

“We all want to promote the city and show it in a different light,” says Andy, 42, who lives in Mossley Hill and works in IT.

His photograph shows the rubble of Concourse Tower next to Lime Street station and the former North Western Hotel. The quotation it is intended to embody came from Bootle poet Matt Simpson: “The city is constantly changing. Between the demolishing of the old and the construction of the new there will always and inevitably be space for longing.”

Brian Roberts, a 42-year-old photographer based at Liverpool Community College’s arts centre, created a portrait of actor John McArdle to fit with a quotation made by a member of the public in 2007: “Culture is more than a clever trendy play or photos that break the rules to no purpose. Liverpool culture is people like me who were born and bred of it and look back; Liverpool culture is the people who live there now and all the varied lives they lead.”

“It was while he was in rehearsals for the play One Night in Istanbul,” explains Brian. “Some of my pictures appeared in the show’s programme. It’s a nice simple shot of John, who was a really nice guy and very friendly.”

Sticking with showbusiness, 32-year-old Zaki Grant, from Toxteth, spontaneously snapped local band Big City Mist while they were in a lift.

“It was the women in the background I liked,” he explains. “The band are the sweetest guys I’ve ever met in my life but the women looked horrified by them.”

Zaki, who works in the civil service, tracked the band down after a photograph he took of its lead singer busking was included in a book of images taken from the Daily Post’s Flickr group.

“I was looking for him for months to say thank you and then I saw him with his group and they asked me to take more pictures of them.”

Mourners at this year’s Hillsborough Memorial at Anfield are the focus of Pete Carr’s image, based on the well-known song title “You'll never walk alone.” The men’s faces are crumpled with grief and one has a single tear on his face. What is most striking about the photograph is that, as it is in black and white, there is not a sign of Liverpool FC red.

“They don’t have to be football fans, just anyone who lost friends or family at Hillsborough,” explains the 30-year-old professional photographer, who lives in the city centre. “It really was a day when everyone came together.”

While Pete’s picture is moving, some of the images encapsulate the famous Liverpool sense of humour.

Dave Brownlee, from Waterloo, was compelled to capture the scene he spotted while walking down a city centre backstreet.

On his photograph, a homeless man sleeps in the doorway of a lap dancing club. Its name – Dreamers.

“As soon as I saw it, I had to take a picture of it,” says the 40-year-old car valeter. “The important thing isn’t the building – it’s the blue sign and the man sleeping.

“I took eight or nine shots, various speeds and apertures just to make him stand out rather than the club.”

Watching visitors view their work in the ruined church is a big step away from people anonymously checking it out on the photosharing website Flickr.

“It’s an interesting way to share your work,” says Andy. “I can take a photo now and within the hour it can be on the web.

“But it’s great to meet up face to face and putting on this exhibition is something we always wanted to do.”

The Fab Collective’s exhibition Up to Something is at St Luke’s Church, Leece Street, Liverpool from August 1-30. For information on the Daily Post’s Flickr group visit www.flickr.com/groups/liverpooldailypost08/