Every Picture Tells A Story

An exhibition of photos by the late Chris Schwarz
The Albany, Douglas Way, Deptford, SE8 4AG
Exhibition: Saturday 22 March – 31 March
Performances: Saturday 22 March at 12.45 and 13.45 (performances last approximately 30 mins)

An exhibition of photographs by acclaimed photographer Chris Schwarz which record Lewisham and Deptford in the 1970s and 1980s and the work of The Combination Theatre Company, taken when he was photographer-in-residence at The Albany. They provide a fascinating legacy of the changing faces of Deptford over a 15 year period.

Highlights include images of totters, Millwall Football Club fans, adults at work, performances by the Albany’s resident theatre company The Combination, images of the old Albany in Creek Road and the brand new Albany in Douglas Way and its opening by the late Princess Diana in 1980.

Chris Schwarz was a professional photographer who worked for the Guardian, Time Out and many other publications. His work was exhibited at the Photographers Gallery in London and overseas, and his work was published in several books. He also founded the Galicia Jewish Museum in Krakow, Poland. Chris died in 2007 and bequeathed his vast collection of over 8,000 photographs to The Art of Regeneration, a creative regeneration project that was at one time based at the Albany.

There will be special storytelling performances at each venue by members of The Deptford Stories Theatre Company, who will interpret selected photographs. Their performances will be based on oral history interviews that have been conducted between 2011 and the present.
The exhibition and performances are free of charge.

After the exhibition the photographs, along with the rest of the vast collection of Chris Schwarz Deptford and Lewisham work will be stored by the London Metropolitan Archives and will be available to the public to download.

The Deptford Stories Theatre Company was founded by director, John Turner and Jenny Harris. Jenny was the creative producer and after a lifetime of creative production in theatre, education and community arts development including the Combination at the Albany, The Education department at the National Theatre and the Art of Regeneration, Every Picture Tells a Story was Jenny’s last production for the Art of Regeneration and the Deptford Stories Company. Jenny herself died before she could see Every Picture Tells A Story or hear the stories the Deptford Stories Company will tell; this is a chance for the public to witness her final production.

The Every Picture Tells a Story project has been supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and includes the exhibition, performances and digitisation of the photographs as a permanent public record.

www.artofregeneration.org