cal cole

this photo project documents the neon shopfronts of chinese chippies across northwest England, celebrating their distinctive visual identity while highlighting their gradual disappearance. once common on local high streets, these luminous facades now exist within a fragile cultural landscape shaped by economic pressure, redevelopment, and changing tastes. growing up in the northwest, I became familiar with these takeaways as everyday community fixtures, defined by vivid neon signage, bold colours, and hybrid aesthetics reflecting both working-class british culture and chinese diasporic heritage. emerging in the 1960s and 70s in de-industrialised towns, many offered dual menus combining cantonese dishes such as char siu with british staples like fish and chips, alongside hybrid creations such as salt and pepper chips. using a consistent front-facing approach, long exposures, and ambient night lighting, this project preserves the atmosphere and visual character of these fading spaces before they disappear from the region’s streets.

this photo project is a celebration of the beautiful game of football, but it also serves to highlight its issues and as such functions as a reminder to not take the sport for granted. having grown up in manchester I have been surrounded by football culture my entire life, and whilst the city is synonymous with two globally recognised clubs it is grassroots football that interests me most in my own photography; as without it, none of the multibillion clubs and brands would exist. it is the foundation for the game, the foot of the pyramid on which football stands. throughout the length and breadth of the UK, publicly owned local council run football pitches are at the heart of grassroots football. without them there would be no amateur football, no sunday league, kids would only be able to play at schools which are lucky enough to have their own facilities. the game would be diminished and the future of the sport, both amateur and professional, would be in serious jeopardy. and yet, due to continued underfunding, local councils are being forced to sell off these vital assets to property developers. recent statistics from the GMB union show that between 2010 and 2024 nearly 1,000 local authority owned or operated football pitches across the UK were lost – the worst hit part being scotland, which lost a massive 271 pitches during that period closely followed by northern england and wales. Through constructed landscape photography utilising long exposures and ‘light painting’, I have chosen to illuminate the goal posts at remaining pitches across the north of england and in scotland to draw attention to these important spaces.

this photo project is a celebration of british newsagents, while also drawing attention to their value amongst local communities in spite of negative connotations surrounding them and risks of closure. the works function as both a visual tribute of the british mundane and a reminder not to take these everyday spaces for granted. having grown up in the UK, I have frequented newsagents my entire life – unassuming yet essential spaces embedded within local communities. while they are often overlooked, these shops possess a distinct and striking visual identity of dense arrangements of products, layered signage, handwritten prices, and window displays that reflect both function and personality. it is this aesthetic richness as well as their social function and cultural relevance that interests me most in my photography. across towns and cities, independent newsagents have long acted as points of daily interaction – places of routine, familiarity, and informal exchange almost performing as a neighbourhood’s third space. yet much like other traditional high street businesses, they face increasing pressure from rising costs, corporate competition, and negative stigmas surrounding their ethicality. as a result, many are closing, being replaced, or losing the distinctive characteristics that once defined them. through the creation of top-down planar stitched images, this project reconfigures these interiors into flattened, expansive and somewhat abstract works. by combining 50+ images into a single frame using techniques inspired by menno aden and andreas gefeller, the work reveals the density, patterns and character of these spaces in a way that is not immediately visible to the eye. shelves, counters, and displays become almost architectural – patterns of repetition, colour, and form that emphasises both structure and a personality in the lack of it. these images act as both documentation and a new interpretation, conveying the unique aesthetic language of british newsagents while elevating their visual and cultural significance. seen from above and reconstructed through stitching, these familiar spaces are transformed into something that is simultaneously observational and immersive, highlighting their importance not just as retail environments, but as enduring centres of local identity and community life.

part of my expanded practice beyond lens-based work, this sculptural light installation depicts the city of manchester and comments on the inequality and uneven development of the city (and other northwest cities). a motorised model of the infamously outdated class 142 pacer train synonymous with the regions infrastructural neglect and the north-south divide loops round the model skyline between skyscrapers and council blocks, defining the invisible line between wealth and poverty as concentrated areas of the city see an influx of investment and new inhabitants whilst others are neglected. The project serves as both a commentary on the contemporary socio- economic issues faced in the northwest in recent years, leading on from my essay research, and also an amalgamation of my interests and experiences growing up in manchester in the 21st century.

‘surreal north’ is a body of work that explores the landscapes of northern england through a surrealist and expanded visual language, celebrating their distinct character while also exploring the forces that continue to reshape them. it reflects on the tension between heritage and transformation, functioning as both a documentation on place identity and a commentary on the rapid industrial growth and globalisation that have come to define the region in recent years. having grown up in the north, I have been surrounded by these landscapes marked by post-industrial remnants, shifting infrastructures, and evolving identities my entire life. while the region is often framed one-dimensionally through narratives of its industrial past and social documentary in photography as the region saw de-industrial decline and social deprivation, it is the present moment of transition that informs my practice. these are places where high rise apartments, financial centres and new transport links increasingly occupy the same ground as former mills, factories, and derelict land. across the region, this process of change is both visible and uneven. according to the office for national statistics, manchester (which accounts for 41% of the regions GDP) saw an 83% in GDP per capita between 2011 and 2023. expanding road networks, transport hubs and ambitious building projects convey economic growth, yet they also raise questions about environmental impact, cultural erasure, and the gentrification of local identity. The landscapes become sites of overlap where globalisation clashes with a rich cultural history through constructed landscape photography using digital manipulation and compositing techniques, I reimagine these environments as heightened, endless spaces. familiar terrains are extended, distorted, and expanded into abstract works that blur the boundaries between reality and surrealism. these works aim to reflect the dissonance of contemporary northern landscapes and capture it from a new perspective. the resulting images act as both documentation and speculation. they capture a region in flux while amplifying its contradictions, presenting landscapes that feel simultaneously recognisable and new. In doing so, the work invites reflection on how industrial expansion and globalisation are not only transforming the physical environment, but also reshaping the ways in which these places are seen, understood, and lived in