Open for Business

About

In 2013, Multistory and Magnum Photos commissioned nine of the world's leading photographers to document contemporary British manufacturing. Magnum's UK photographers: Stuart Franklin, David Hurn, Peter Marlow, Martin Parr, Mark Power and Chris Steele-Perkins; alongside three international photographers: Alessandra Sanguinetti (Argentina), Bruce Gilden (America) and Jonas Bendiksen (Norway) visited over one hundred workplaces across the UK; from one-man businesses to FTSE 100 companies. Their photographs take us from traditional, handmade crafts to modern, intelligent automation; from foundries and assembly lines to research laboratories and high tech cleanrooms, showing an economic sector of extraordinary resilience and diversity. Within the exhibition you will be able to see images by Chris Steele-Perkins of the following South West-based companies: Bandvulc Tyres, Burts Potato Chips, Conway Stewart, Dartmoor Brewery, Princess Yachts, Spinnaker International, Summerskills Brewery, Tavy Ales, Tideford Organics, Vi-Spring and Westaways Sausages. During a period of great economic instability, and where questions are being raised about the strength of western economies within the worldwide market, there has never been a more relevant time to explore the condition of Britain's manufacturing future.