Renowned street photographer Bruce Gilden has unveiled his latest collection of photographs that capture the raw, unvarnished reality of England's urban landscape across three decades. The 70-something photographer's new book, "The Empire on Which the Sun Never Sets," showcases images taken throughout the 1970s and 2000s, revealing what Gilden describes as his philosophy: "The older I get, the closer I get." His intimate approach to photography brought him face-to-face with England's working-class communities in ways that were sometimes dangerous.
Gilden's commitment to getting close to his subjects twice resulted in him being escorted out of venues for his own safety. On October 16, 1976, while celebrating his birthday at a soccer match between Liverpool and Everton at Anfield Stadium, police officers forced him to leave. "The bobbies made me leave the stadium at Anfield when they lined the field near the end of the match because all the little street urchins were trying to pick my pockets," Gilden recalls in his book. "I wanted to stay, but they wouldn't let me."
Nearly a quarter-century later, Gilden found himself in another precarious situation while working on a Magnum Photos commission in a Welsh coal mining region during the millennium celebrations. He witnessed a violent altercation at a working men's club on New Year's Day that escalated quickly. "One of the muscle-bound young adults threw a glass against the wall and all hell broke loose," Gilden explains. "I got thrown out into the freezing cold night with no jacket on, completely soaked in sweat just for being a spectator with a camera. I was smart enough to not take pictures of this because I'm sure everybody would have attacked me."
Despite his reputation as an aggressive, in-your-face street photographer, Gilden demonstrates considerable street wisdom about when to photograph and when to refrain. His new book reveals the calculated decisions behind his seemingly spontaneous work, showing how he uses his instincts to determine when bringing out the camera would be appropriate versus when it could provoke danger.
The photographer's journey through England took him to various locations including Liverpool, Newcastle in Northeast England, the Rhondda Valley in Wales, and London's Kings Cross area, where he documented drug users and other marginalized communities. His lens captured soccer fans, bar scenes, people in pubs, and everyday moments of urban life that revealed the struggles and realities of England's working class.
The book's press release emphasizes that this collection presents "not a romantic England" but rather "a place where photographing often wasn't safe, where street smarts were as essential as the camera itself." Gilden's approach transforms what could be mere voyeurism into direct confrontation with reality, exposing what the publishers describe as "the surreal theater of public life, moments both violent and tender, absurd and unsettling."
"The Empire on Which the Sun Never Sets" is published by Setanta Books and is currently available for £50 (approximately $66). The collection represents decades of Gilden's work with Magnum Photos, the prestigious photography agency, and stands as a testament to his fearless documentation of England's urban underbelly during times of social and economic change.
