Aesthetica Magazine – Fleeting Moments

In 2013, a new online game launched. Its premise was simple – the player is dropped into a random location in Google Maps, and they must attempt to work out where they are. Geoguessr’s popularity boomed and in 2023, the internationally broadcast World Cup peaked at more than 70,000 viewers. The professionals can identify their whereabouts in seconds, using the paving of roads, language, signs, foliage and climate to determine where in the world they are. It’s something often overlooked, the way in which our streets can tell us so much about our national, regional and personal identity. They are the site of resistance and protest, in the form of mass demonstrations or political graffiti. They are also places of community connection and neighbourhood activity, as well as an opportunity to show off our personal identity in the form of street style and fashion. Just as unique as a postcode, the roads and avenues of our cities tell a distinct story of the place. Now, The International Centre of Photography celebrates 50 years of street photography in We Are Here: Scenes from the Streets. The exhibition traces the art form’s unique viewpoints on local culture and unfolding events throughout the 20th century. In documenting both dramatic and everyday moments — from street style to protests — the works included testify to the resilience and similarities of the human experience.

The streets of cities and town have been the site of protest and resistance throughout history. The Revolutionaries of France barricaded the Parisian boulevards as part of their uprising. In 1963, the March on Washington, a civil rights rally led by Martin Luther King Jr., saw 260,000 people congregate outdoors to hear his iconic ‘I Have a Dream’ speech. In fact, the very act of occupying an outdoor space has become a central characteristic of many political movements, such as the ‘Reclaim the Streets’ group which sought to ensure the safety of women after the murder of Sarah Everard in 2021. For many of the artists featured at The International Centre of Photography, the use of these public and communal spaces as a stage to call for political and social change are the focal point of their work. Devin Allen was featured on the cover of TIME magazine in May 2015 for his image of the Baltimore Uprising. Violence broke out in the city on 19 April after the death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old Black man who died of a spinal cord injury whilst in police custody. Gray’s tragic death and the outcry it caused centred attention on questions of race, justice and police brutality. Allen’s deeply moving images show a community that has seen the same act of injustice played out too many times. In one, a man is wrapped in a US flag, with names written across the white stripes as a memorial to those lost to racial violence. Elsewhere, Yolanda Andrade’s Women’s Day Protest Against Violence, captures a group of women and girls defiantly shouting and holding signs, adorned in colourful clothes and bandanas. They are unapologetically asserting their right to take up public space. These street photographers span the world, with Grace Ekpu picturing protestors at the Lekki-Ikoyi tollgate calling for an end to rogue police unit, Special Anti-robbery Squad in Lagos, Nigeria. The unit was initially established to combat armed robbery but became synonymous with unlawful killings, torture and extortion. The urgent and timely pictures remind us that a desire to take collective action and drive forward change is a historic and universal experience. 

The through line of the exhibition, underpinning images of both resistance and joy, is that of neighbourhood and community connection. In places where diasporic groups live and work, cultural traditions transported from homelands often overspill into the streets, and celebrations and ceremonies take place amongst the local businesses and restaurants. Consider Notting Hill carnival, Luna New Year, Mardi Gras. In some cases, these annual events exist at the intersection between protest and celebration, with occasions like Pride an assertion of the LGBTQIA+ communities of their right to exist and thrive without legal or social oppression. Corky Lee’s 1996 photograph of Chinatown Community Young Lions performing at the Luna New Year parade in Chinatown, New York captures the essence of these celebrations. Not only this, but it highlights the unique and persevering quality that has endeared people to street photography for half a century. It captures a fleeting instant, the tassels of a dragon blur with movement as they swing to-and-fro and crowds are caught in motion as they walk behind the giant figure. We feel as though we are there, enjoying the festivities right alongside them. It is a moment in time, capturing the energy of a city through a single scene on a single street. It is echoed throughout the exhibition, as people in Pushkar perform flips and leap around on a trampoline as ferris wheels and camels fill the background, or children play on their bikes and with toy cars in Iran. 

Much the same as expressions of community and cultural identity can manifest themselves on the streets, personal identity can also be played out in these spaces. The popularistion of street fashion photography is often accredited to Bill Cunningham, who spent much of his life roaming New York on his bicycle, documenting the outfits of people living in one of the most influential cities in the world. Now, we have come to expect to see street style. A quick online search of the phrase shows up endless articles from Vogue, Marie Claire and Harper’s Bazaar touting the newest looks from fashion weeks and celebrity icons. Add in social media and influencers, and you have a recipe for something that becomes a defining element of self-expression. The way people present themselves on the street is one way of saying ‘this is who I am and how I want to be seen.’ The artists featured in the exhibition are the figures who helped turn the pavement into runways for creative expression. They reject traditional, staged fashion photography, emphasising the unique style of everyday people and self-presentation a as reflected in cultural trends and social movements. We can see a blend of the ordinary with high fashion throughout the show. Feng Li’s Mirror Girl glitters in a reflective body suit, turning her into a disco ball as she stands in front of a dull street scene. A woman is adorned in a gold dress with a pink headscarf in Dakar. Two girls stare into the camera, their hair red and their outfits the quintessential 1990s grunge that defined the era. The images speak to a distinct time and place, transporting us to the lives of the everyday people who shaped and reflected the thoughts, movements and fashion of the day.

We Are Here: Scenes from the Streets is at The International Centre of Photography until 6 January 2025: icp.org

Words: Emma Jacob