The pilot issue out in April 2010 includes a feature about the decline of British bees and a feature about Broadway Market. Eleven photographs were published including a new commissioned series on the oldest restaurants in London. You can find out more about the magazine here: http://www.breadandbuttermagazine.co.uk/

Making Honey in Hackney on Their Rooftop

Philip was diagnosed with Asberger’s syndrome when he was 8 years old. He is incredibly bright and tends to become an expert in any subject he puts his mind to. Ian use to keep bees in Essex and when Philip was 10, Ian thought that given Philip’s current obsession with insects, he would give him one hive and see how he got on. With the help of Philips sustained interest the hives grew from one to eight and Philip and Ian suddenly found themselves operating a small business from their home.  Their first harvest yielded 45lbs of honey made from the surrounding flowers and trees of Hackney. Sound dodgy? Read on.

When I first met Philip Schild in 2005 in Broadway Market, London at the “Mile of Art”, I was immediately taken with his spirit. He stood smiling from behind the mesh of a bee-keeper’s hat, and as I passed him, he practically jumped into my path and tried excitedly to sell me his home-made honey. “Rooftop honey from Hackney, 1/2lb for two quid, 1lb is four quid.” Honey from Hackney? I was so impressed with this young boy, then no more than thirteen and how engaging he was, that his confidence and charm drew me in immediately.

I got to know him, his mother Nicola and her partner Ian over the next couple of years and photographed them and their beekeeping whenever I would visit. I had my first taste of homemade mead in the Schild/Davies kitchen and got more bee stings than I ever feared possible on their roof.

A selection of these images was then published as a feature article in The Guardian G2 in 2007. The article was mentioned that day in the House of Lords and media attention increased. Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall tracked down the family and challenged Ian and Philip to a blind taste test with his own honey on his River Cottage Program. Hackney Honey won.

Given the current state of the world, as the children played, it struck me that we make toy guns, knives, swords and other weapons for children; to play with. I guess the fantasy of overpowering or killing someone is fun. The reality is something altogether different. However I thought the juxtaposition of the toys and the expression on the children’s faces formed a powerful and disturbing image which says something about us as a society.

Commissioned by BMTRA 2009

Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, Camargue, France

Every year thousands of Gypsies from around the world make a pilgrimage to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer in France for an annual ceremony where they venerate their patron saint Sarah. I went to make portraits of as many Gypsies as I could. I set up a small portrait studio in the Place de l’Eglise and in exchange for their time and image, I gave away polaroids to any Gypsy who asked to have his or her image made. I thought this giving was of the utmost importance to the spirit of this project. By that, they would be given something back immediately. There was no easier nor more beautiful way to do this than with Polaroid.

E8 4PH is a series of colour and black and white photographic portraits documenting Broadway Market’s community in 2006. The portraits were made on the street with available daylight and are of residents, visitors, trades people and other community members.

The images were exhibited locally at Seven Seven gallery (which is now an antiques store and book shop). People who had their portraits exhibited were invited to write a paragraph about their relationship with Broadway Market. The text was displayed along side their corresponding portrait. Local businesses were used to print and frame the photographs.

I created a self-portrait projection system installed in the basement of the gallery which served to document the visitors to the gallery and integrate their image into the exhibition, thus making them ‘part of the community’. The exhibition aimed to celebrate the diversity and character of the market through the sharing of residents’ stories, as everyone who came here felt the unique and charming spirit of Broadway Market that we are so lucky at present to be a part of.

You can view the entire project here at http://e84ph.gabriellemotola.com