30/30 Vision

I have been taking photographs of makers, designers and artists for nearly 20 years.

In 2002 I was specially commissioned by the Crafts Council to produce a set of portraits that would both show the artist/makers and reveal something of the environment in which they were living or working.

For over 30 years the Crafts Council has been giving support to the creation of new works of craft to ensure that they are seen and enjoyed widely across the UK and abroad. 30/30 Vision was an exhibition installation and catalogue celebrating 30 years of the Craft Council’s setting up grants.

My own photographic work is primarily concerned with people, identity and environments so this project was an opportunity to put some of my own personal ideas into practice whilst producing a coherent set of images for the project.

I wanted to avoid craftsperson/maker at work reportage style imagery or formal highly staged and lit studio shoots. I opted for a simple direct approach to give this body of work an integrity and visual cohesion. I chose ambient lighting, the same wide-angle lens throughout. The emphasis was on the individual, within their domestic landscape or working environment.

I travelled across England, Scotland and Wales over a period of three months in early 2003 to produce the largest and most wide-ranging documentary of British makers ever commissioned. 30/30 Vision deliberately reveals 30 different ways of working and making - ranging across urban, rural and suburban contexts and including people with diverse backgrounds and skills.

Ed Barber

Research Interests

Photography, portraiture, uniforms and identity.

Current Research

Edward recently started a practice based PhD at London College of Fashion - 'W1: World One / Portrait, Place and Appearance in London's West End'.

• http://edwardbarber.net/