browseHorden Victory Club
Martin Figura (Photographer)
Extract from the Side Gallery exhibition text:
One of the key locations in Amber's feature film, Like Father, the Victory Club thrives in the heart of an economically depressed ex-colliery town. There was much more to explore in the life of the club than they could hope to cover in the context of a film drama, so Side approached Martin Figura about a possible photographic project. Jumping at the opportunity, he created a rich portrait of its place in the community, focusing in particular on the high point of the club's calendar, the annual leek show, with its beamingly proud growers of extraordinary prize vegetables and flowers. Developed through a Year of the Artist residency, the photographs were first shown at Horden Victory Club in September 2001.
The photographs are a celebration of the people of the Horden Victory Club and the Leek Shows. The North East is most often represented in the context of its social problems and to get beyond the superficial distortions of such territory takes time. It was a short term project and the time I had available, I decided to make the work positive, but given the warmth and generosity of the people, it was hard to make it anything else. Martin Figura
Before becoming a full time photographer, Martin Figura was in the British Army, rising through the ranks to become a colonel, before leaving. This Man's Army, a photographic portrait of the British Army at a time of profound change that he developed during his last year of service, is published by Dewei Lewis. It was exhibited at Side Gallery in 1999.