Epson supports ‘100 Faces of London’ to bring the capital’s diversity alive in photos

21/03/11

Photography project explores modern day London through one hundred portraits of ordinary Londoners

One hundred portraits of ordinary Londoners representing the diversity of the UK’s capital city make up the ‘Heritage Book’ of photographic plates, the culmination of photographer Milan Svanderlik’s ‘100 Faces of London’ project supported by leading technology solutions company, Epson.

Milan first embarked on his ‘100 Faces of London’ photography project in early 2010, inspired by London’s mix of traditions, cultures and habits, and the faiths, expectations and hopes of its inhabitants. Milan found in London a city of extraordinary, perhaps unique, diversity that he has worked to capture in the appearance of one hundred sitters, all ordinary Londoners photographed over a twelve-month period.

Project creator Milan Svanderlik, who was born in Northern Bohemia and has adopted London as his home city, comments: “London is truly an extraordinary place and the thing that makes it most extraordinary is the people who have been drawn here and who have made their home in the capital.”

The sitters - all volunteers - ranged from 20 to 100 years in age, and every effort was made to embrace a broad range of ethnic backgrounds. From the outset, the aim was to feature ordinary yet real faces instead of familiar personalities. The choice of formal, studio portraiture was deliberate, but Milan was careful to avoid influencing the sitters’ dress or self-expression during the shoots, as the portraits were designed to be an honest portrayal of the personality and richness of one hundred Londoners who collectively illustrate the capital’s multicultural face.

Once the photography was completed, Milan said that “not one of the sitters, any of whom might have been seen in the capital’s streets, parks or theatre foyers, could have been accurately described as an ‘ordinary Londoner’; they all proved to be quite extraordinary personalities.”

Epson helped to bring London’s diverse faces and personalities to life in photographs, supporting the printing of stage two of the project - the ‘Heritage Book’ - on the Epson Stylus Pro 3880. Using this professional A2+ Epson printer together with Epson UltraChrome K3 with Vivid Magenta inks and Epson Cold Press Natural paper, Milan has been able to print high-quality and long lasting prints of all one hundred portraits for the production of the ‘Heritage Book’.

Milan is currently exploring suitable spaces in one of London’s galleries or public exhibition areas to mount an exhibition of ‘100 Faces of London’ during 2012, the year of the Cultural Olympiad. The ‘100 Faces of London’ creator also plans to present the ‘Heritage Book’ to one of London's major collections to be retained for posterity.

‘100 Faces of London’ website: http://www.100facesoflondon.org

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