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"Prima Facie: At First Sight"
A photographic exploration of Sunniside, Sunderland
by Paul Alexander Knox
"In the two years I have worked on this project I have come to know and appreciate Sunniside and its people. I have been made to feel welcome here; I want to thank the people of the area for allowing me to talk with them and to take photographs. The images created for this project will almost certainly have much more significance in the years to come. My aim was to create a historical document of Sunniside and its people, as the area is undergoing major changes and will be unrecognisable in the near future. I have photographed this area as I found it upon first glance as a way of articulating this exact time in this place. Although generations of stories wait to be told behind each face and facade I have chosen to present this work, at first sight, an archive of Sunniside in 2009."
Paul came to this project fresh out of University after completing his degree. The project was commissioned for a six month period however once he started he became fascinated with the area. The project grew and grew; six months turned into a year, a year turned into eighteen months and finally almost two years later we can now see the results. The work displayed here is a mere fraction of the work edited for display in the gallery, there will be a book created soon showing the project in its entirety.
Paul Alexander Knox was born in Sunderland. He discovered his love of photography through his love of travel. While spending a year in India he was exposed to the splendour but also the poverty and disease of the developing world. He wanted to record these scenes and show people the world as he saw it in hopes that the images could encourage a shift in awareness in order to create change. Through the following years his objective remains the same but his focus has shifted to issues closer to home, aiming to document the changing social structure of the North East of England. He has worked on several long term projects, working closely with his subject in order to gain a greater understanding and awareness.
Paul has gained both national and international recognition with his work, winning several awards; most notably two second places and two honourable mentions in the International Photography Awards (I.P.A.) in 2007 and 2009 and 'Shots' Young Photographer of the Year 2008.