Writing at the time, Germain noted: ‘In the past nine years, Consett has changed almost beyond recognition... What identity are people forming for themselves in the new Consett and how do they regard the past?’ The work stands as both a record and a reflection, examining how communities make sense of themselves amid sweeping economic and physical change.

For the exhibition, Germain’s approach combined his own photography with archival and vernacular material, including images by local photographer Tommy Harris and documentary work by Don McCullin. This layered presentation brought past and present into dialogue, offering a portrait of a town negotiating memory, regeneration and uncertainty.

Julian Germain is a British photographer whose socially engaged documentary work has been developed through long-term, often collaborative projects. Since the 1980s, he has explored themes including education, community, ageing, and post-industrial change; bringing together portraiture, vernacular photography and archive materials to reflect on everyday experience with clarity and empathy.

Based in Northumberland, Germain has exhibited widely in the UK and internationally, and has worked extensively in the North East. His collaborative approach has seen him work with communities, producing newspapers, books and street exhibitions, often foregrounding amateur and found images alongside his own.

His work reflects an ongoing interest in how photography can function both as documentation and dialogue. He is a founding member of the international magazine Useful Photography, and continues to develop projects that challenge traditional ideas of authorship, exploring questions of time, memory and representation.