Tom Wichelow | Photographer

2000 portraits Tom Wichelow's documentary project '2000 Portraits' not only gives us a unique view of contemporary British society at the dawn of a new millennium. It also offers itself as a fascinating glimpse into the diversity of lives and lifestyles of this island we inhabit.

Inspired by the works of August Sander and Daniel Meadows, Wichelowâ€™s aim to photograph 2000 people in the year 2000 is an ambitious yet worthy goal. His approach is simple; he walks up to anyone on the street that catches his discerning eye and asks if they would like to participate in a portrait of the country. Surprisingly the 'reservedâ€™ Brits have almost unanimously agreed to this request and have offered themselves willingly to the cameraâ€™s gaze. Wichelowâ€™s work shows us that in fact, despite the rhetoric of a society in constant flux and change many things have remained the same. We will all recognise the subjects of these photographs, these are the people we pass every day in the street, the people we see in our homes and the people we see in the mirror.

Robert Frankâ€™s work â€˜The Americansâ€™ was condemned in the US, it seemed his view of the country was too contrary to how Americans wanted to view themselves. Wichelowâ€™s work I feel will have a warmer reception, the familiarity of the subjects is comforting in an age where so many seem lost in the haze of mass communication and technology. Wichelow welcomes us home, and reminds us that despite all the advances, our home still exists as we have always known it.

Like the works of Frank, Sander and Meadows this work will almost certainly take on an increasing significance as time passes, and may well be studied by students of the future as an important historical document of our society today.

Â© Petra Creffield. 2000.

2000portraits