Congregation book with Loose Joints // /  by sophie green

I’m very excited to be publishing my second publication titled ‘Congregation’ with Loose Joints - a 2 year work in progress, the book presents Southwark’s Aladura Spiritualist African churches and congregations.

‘Congregation’ will be launched on Thursday 25th April at Hannah Barry Gallery in London, 6:30-9pm.

Hardcover with embossed silk cover, edition of 700, 106 pages, 17.5 x 22.5 cm, £27.00. The book is available on preorder, you can register your interest on the Loose Joints website now; http://www.loosejoints.biz/projects/publishing/congregation/

CONGREGATION BOOK LAUNCH AND EXHIBITION // /  by sophie green

Come join Loose Joints and myself for the launch of my book, ‘Congregation’ on 25th April at Hannah Barry Gallery, London, 6:30-9:30pm alongside an exhibition and book signing. There will also be booze and holy water. All welcome :)

Airbnb // /  by sophie green

I went to Iceland to photograph Ása Helga Hjörleifsdóttir a director and writer from Reykjavik - together we explored her favourite places in Reykjavik for Airbnb magazine.

British Airways // /  by sophie green

I made an adventure across Snowdonia for British Airways Highlife with Britain’s new generation of leading female adventurers Anna Mcnuff, Ness Kinght, Holly Budge and Kiko Matthews. Together we took on the relentless uphill trek to Snowdonia's highest peak, we camped in tents, bathed in the lake, drank water from the streams, watched sunset, ate warm sandwiches and admired the stunning views... Written piece by Kim Willis.

SUNDAY TIMES STYLE // /  by sophie green

'Women Shaping the Art World' Portrait Portfolio - I was commissioned by Sunday Times Style to photograph the most exciting, female talent shaking up the art world, from up-coming artists to young curators and critics, as well as established and powerful museum and gallery directors including Maria Balshaw - director of Tate, Victoria Siddall - director of Frieze, Julia Peyton Jones - senior global director at Thaddeus Ropac, Amira Gad - exhibitions curator at Serpentine, Iwona Bazwick - director of Whitechapel Gallery, Leila Hasham - associate curator at Barbican, Joanna Payne - founder of Marguerite, Katy Hessel - curator, White Pube Girls aka Zarina Muhammad and Gabrielle de la Puente - art critics/curators and artists Juno Calpyso, Maisie Cousins and Hannah Perry. See the full series on my website.

LOUIS VUITTON // /  by sophie green

I was commissioned by Louis Vuitton to shoot their latest ‘Masterpieces Travel in Louis Vuitton’ campaign, where a bespoke trunk was created at the Maison’s historic workshops in Asnières, France to protect Vermeer’s “The Milkmaid” painting on its journey from the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam to the Ueno Royal Museum in Tokyo.

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TWIN MAGAZINE // /  by sophie green

Twin Magazine have published a series of images from my project ‘Wefts & Tracks’ - a celebration of afro-hair salons in Peckham, London in their latest issue. Out now. With write up by journalist, Lynda Cowell -

‘Peckham, south-east London. There are over 20 black hair salons in this part of town, each one as invisible as the next to the oblivious passer-by, but to the owners and clientele, these places are life. It’s where hairdos happen and weaves come true but more than that, they’re community comfort zones for women, young and old, from all parts of the diaspora. Behind the braids, relaxes, and dog-eared magazines, the black salon is a home from home.

The first black hairdressers in Britain is thought to be Carmen Maingot’s hair-straightening salon in South Kensington. It flourished when opened in 1955 but Winifred Atwell’s salon, opened in 1957, soon upstaged it. Atwell was Britain’s first black, female chart-topper and all-round piano genius. A Queen Mother favourite whose hands were insured for £40,00 she was never off the stage or British television. With a career demanding 24-hour glamour, the distinct lack of black hair salons forced her to open her own on Railton Road in Brixton. Aimed at the growing West Indian population, it was a much-needed slice of luxury. ‘In those days,’ said one former client, ‘there were no black salons for black women in this country, black women styled their hair in their kitchens.’

Fast-forward through the sleek 1950s, afroed 1970s and Jheri-curled perms of the 1980s to the present day and not much has changed. Even the fact that black women spend six times more on haircare, change styles more often and spend far more time in hair salons has had little impact on the wider industry. A history of reluctance to welcome black custom in white hair salons and the age-old fear of afros has played a big part in keeping the black hair salon alive.

If you’ve ever been to such a place, Sophie Green’s photography project, ‘Wefts & Tracks’ will feel so familiar, you can almost smell the braid sheen, catch the jokes and hear the TV in the background. To the uninitiated, like Sophie, it’s a glimpse into a different world.  

Sophie says it was one of the most difficult projects she’s ever done. Gaining access to the salons was sometimes difficult and persuading people that she wanted to seriously document something usually overlooked was hard. ‘It was absolutely my intention to capture a positive reflection of the community to honour the people I encountered and represent them truthfully and respectfully,’ she says.

As someone who’d never even stepped foot into a black hair salon, what first struck Sophie was the absolute spirit of community.  ‘In Peckham, the afro-hair salons stand out as hubs of life – the vibrant energy of Blenheim Grove is palpable,’ she says. ‘People infiltrate these salons as much for the social life as the services. I felt moved to capture the spirit of these salon environments.’

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THE GUARDIAN // /  by sophie green

I photographed Lucinda Chambers, the longtime fashion director of British Vogue, where she held the position for 25 years, at home for The Guardian.

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