#41 CAMERA Book Review: Paul Trevor - Like You've Never Been Away

A flick through the lovely book Like You've Never Been Away by photographer Paul Trevor (2nd Edition published by Bluecoat Press)

Paul Trevor's Like You've Never Been Away was published by Bluecoat Press in 2011 to accompany an exhibition at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool. The photographs were made during a six month period in 1975 when Trevor worked in the city as part of the Exit Photography Group, a collective documenting life in Britain's inner cities during a period of economic decline. Although some of the work was included in Survival Programmes: In Britain's Inner Cities in 1982, the majority of Trevor's Liverpool photographs remained unpublished for more than three decades. The book brings together this previously unseen body of work, concentrating on the lives of families and children living in neighbourhoods affected by unemployment, housing clearance and industrial decline.

Rather than presenting Liverpool solely through the physical evidence of urban deprivation, Trevor focused on the resilience and social life of its communities. His photographs record children playing in streets and derelict spaces, family life, local friendships and everyday routines, revealing how ordinary life continued despite difficult economic circumstances. Working with a direct observational style, Trevor produced photographs that avoid sentimentality while remaining closely connected to the people he photographed. Like You've Never Been Away stands as an important documentary record of Liverpool during the mid 1970s and reflects Trevor's long standing commitment to socially engaged photography in Britain.

Paul Trevor
Bluecoat Press

#paultrevor #photography #photobook #liverpool

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