After Redundancy, Architects, Building, Photos, News, Design, Architecture, Office
After Redundancy Project
Architect Portraits by James Whitaker, UK
21 Jan 2010
After Redundancy exhibition
RIBA, 66 Portland Place, London, UK
3 Feb – 22 Feb
The series featured on BBC2’s The Culture Show, 4 Feb
9 Dec 2009
After Redundancy – Portraiture Project
Photographs © James Whitaker
Portraits of architects who were made redundant within 2008-09
Adrian |
Andrew |
Beth |
Bethan |
Caroline |
Daniel |
Dominic |
George |
Ivan |
James |
James Whitaker |
Jamie |
Josephine |
Leisa |
Liam |
Neal |
Neil |
Nick |
Sagit |
Sam |
Sarah |
Sophie |
Yasmin |
After Redundancy – Portraiture Project Background
On 20th March 2009 the Guardian reported that the Royal Institute of British Architects’ president, Sunand Prasad, estimated that 30% of architects were unemployed or under-employed.Two weeks later, on 1st April 2009, James Whitaker was made redundant from one of the UK’s leading design studios and set out to pursue a long standing ambition of working as a freelance photographer.
Quickly discovering that he was not alone in finding redundancy a life changing event James began work on a portraiture project studying the effects of redundancy on architects. Ranging from chefs to cake shop owners, lighting designers to journalists, and even back to architects, After Redundancy documents the directions taken by twenty-four individuals from the architectural profession after being made redundant during the 2008-2009 recession.
After Redundancy – Portraiture Project Exhibitions
Howies, 42 Carnaby Street, London : 14 Dec 2009 – 28 Jan 2010
RIBA, 66 Portland Place, London : 3 – 22 Feb 2010
Previously:
27 Jul 2009
Architect Portraits
Information from James Whitaker
At the start of April I was made redundant from a prominent London design studio, and so decided to follow my ambition of becoming a freelance photographer.
A couple of weeks ago I was talking to friends and started to realise that I was not alone in taking advantage of the recession to pursue other interests.
Amongst the people that I spoke to some have found architectural work again, while others have turned to teaching or academia, labour on sites, medical admin, others have become artists, restaurateurs, chefs, photographers, lighting designers, journalists…the list goes on.
So I have now started work on a photography project taking portraits of architects who have been made redundant within the last twelve months, documenting the new directions that it has taken them. My aim is to gather around 30-40 portraits and then organise them into an exhibition.
Location: London, south east England, UK
Architecture in UK
Contemporary Architecture in London – architectural selection below:
Website: Architectural Tours
Comments / photos for the After Redundancy Architecture page welcome
Website: www.whitakerstudio.co.uk