Solihull Arts Complex

Classic Stories is a collection of images inspired by still life and great literature.

The literature represented includes works by English and American authors across a range of genres and a range of centuries. The most recent works in the collection are Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo, Beloved, by Toni Morrison, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, by JK Rowling, and The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. The earliest texts are both from the late 14th century: The Miller’s Tale (from the Canterbury Tales) and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by an unknown poet.

The selection of works is intended to span a broad cross-section of literature in the English language.

The photographs are presented in diptych format (two images, side by side). The right hand panel is an image of the book, or part of the book. The left hand panel uses a still-life object to represent a theme, a character, a mood, an incident or part of the plot of the text.

The photographs attempt to explore the narratives, and to consider how a visual metaphor can successfully convey ideas that are described in greater detail in print.

Before becoming a professional photographer, Clive Edwards worked as a Head of English and Media at an 11-18 school. He was principal examiner for A-level Media Studies for OCR, and was Head of Media Subjects at a West Midlands further education college. He has also worked as a community journalist and as a sports broadcast journalist. He has Associate Status with the Royal Photographic Society and has a Masters Degree in Photography.