Matt MacPake

To & from the North Circular

The A406 North Circular is a 27.5 mile stretch of carriageway forming the northern section of the ring road surrounding the UK’s capital. Considered by many to be one of the noisiest and environmentally damaging roads in Britain, the uncertainty of the road’s development since the 1970s has caused urban decay and criticism for lack of progress and a poor pollution record. Notwithstanding its reputation, the road represents a significant artery carrying a regular life-flow of people and goods through, around and out of the city. The road is therefore an essential blight on neighbourhoods through which it passes, representing a significant issue for government and local communities. This project highlights the life surrounding the road – local people going about their day, and moments of natural beauty captured against the backdrop of the rubbish-strewn concrete edifice.

Photographer

Matt MacPake

Matt MacPake is a documentary photographer, living in London, whose work is focused on people and the environment. Born in the North West of England, Matt graduated in 2005 with a BA (Hons) in Photography at Blackpool & The Fylde College.
In 2015 Matt was shortlisted for the Bar Tur Photobook award at The Photographers Gallery for his project ‘To & from the North Circular’. The Portrait of security guard John came fourth in 2015 The Portrait Salon and was featured in the Guardian, BBC & was part of the Portrait Salon exhibition in London & Tokyo, Japan.
In 2016 Matt’s portrait of Wilhelemna, was one of 100 images selected in the British Journal of Photography’s Portrait of Britain, to celebrate the country’s unique heritage and diversity. The exhibition was shown across JCDecaux’s digital network of screens in railway stations, shopping centres, high streets and bus stops around the UK. Matt has shown work in Berlin, San Francisco, Des Moines I, Johannesburg, Krakow, London & Brighton. Matt recently completed a MA in photography & is a Senior Photography lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire.

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