An unexpected collection of books made by his great grandfather’s printing press inspired a decade long project by artist Chris Brooks. Resulting in a quest to discover more about his heritage and explore the notion of “home” and “place”. I caught up with the photographer in Wirksworth, Derbyshire, to find out more.
Chris Brooks was presented with several books for his 30th Birthday. All printed and made by the press founded by his great grandfather in 1898. Consisting of two early 20th Century self help books; ”The Reality of Self”, “Ideas and Ideals” and a publication entitled “Wirksworth and Five Miles Round” by RR Hackett. They sparked a desire to find out more about this aspect of his past, which he knew virtually nothing about, and became the catalyst for a ten year journey exploring his connection to the area.
The result is a beautifully made book of his own, created by combining photographs and printed ephemera from The Brooks Press found en route. No small feat as the company ceased trading in the early 1970’s before he was born. This is not strictly a documentary of the process, or a book version of the TV programme “Who Do You Think You Are?”, but something more nuanced and ambiguous. A volume which asks questions and offers a unique perspective of someone simultaneously connected and distanced from the subject. How is this possible?
On this late January evening we are sitting in an intimate gallery space in the old Haarlem Mill, in Wirksworth. Brooks is presenting his artist talk about how this personal project came into being and the many challenges, twists and turns it took before finally being compiled into printed and bound pages. The exhibition also consists of large format photographs hanging on the walls and a display case of books, pamphlets and messages created by the original Brooks Press.
The deeply personal side of the project is tied up in a tangle of complicated family relations and the sudden death of his father when he was a teenager. Photography was the means of escape and prompted several moves away to study and employment. This distance through time and geography has given the perspective of an outsider, while several generations associated with printing and publishing in Derbyshire has ignited curiosity and highlighted closer ties.
That said, it doesn’t mean that this has been plain sailing. It was the start of an emotional journey of self discovery for the artist, the question being asked in all of this is where is home?
Nearly half a century since it ceased operating, there wasn’t much evidence of The Books Press in Wirksworth itself. Once the internet of its day and the hub of communications for miles around. It took a series of adverts and articles in today’s local press for evidence to emerge. The trail even leading to materials and artefacts stored in The British Library.
Following many visits for photography and investigation, numerous edits and mock ups, the final edition takes time to digest and understand. A very deliberate intention by the artist. When viewed by an American friend, Brooks was asked, “Does Wirksworth really exist or is it something you made up?” Its surreal combination of landscape and the oddities found in many aspects of rural community life with the historic fragments replicating the process of making the work. The photographs act as a metaphor for something universal beneath the surface of “Englishness” making Wirksworth representative of a bigger thing, about finding home.
Two Contrasting Photographic Worlds
I first met Chris while studying photography at Northumbria University in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Following graduation in 2000, our year group dispersed to follow many different photographic paths, some changing career completely. He has since moved to London, forging a very successful career in fashion photography where he regularly contributes to Esquire, Wallpaper and many other well known publications.
Chris relocated to Amsterdam in 2019, The Brooks Press has served as an interesting point of reference when commercial work takes you between New York, London and Europe. The whole process and method of this personal project is the antithesis of fast paced digital commercial projects; shooting onto 10×8 film using a field camera. Looking from the outside it seems this method, timescale and exploration satisfy a creative need for the artist.
“If I’m putting batteries in the camera, then it is commercial. If it’s mechanical, then the work is personal”, he explains.
The Brooks Press in the 21st Century
“The Brooks Press of Wirksworth” has been described as an odyssey, which it is. Having known Chris half a lifetime ago, the creation of the book has given me the opportunity to catch up at various points since its launch at The Photographer’s Gallery in London in 2019. Appearing later the same year as part of the vibrant Wirksworth Arts Festival. It seemed entirely appropriate for the work to come full circle by being exhibited at Haarlem Art Space in the town during February 2020. It has created a new type of connection and perhaps even a constant too.
I see this as a significant chapter in Chris Brooks life and creative career, but this is also just the start. There are plans to continue publishing future projects through The Brooks Press, reviving and reinventing it for the 21st century as a means of bringing new works through small, bespoke runs of artist books.
Following the talk and exhibition we sit and chat about photography, enjoyably reminiscing about our time at university, life in The Netherlands, and also future artwork and plans over a few beers in a local pub. Having found out more about the context for this project, it has left me asking, how well do I know my heritage? A mark of the quality of any artwork is whether it provokes thought and discussion. And The Brooks Press of Wirksworth certainly does that. What is my sense of home and place? I suspect my own odyssey has just begun…
Jacob Broadhurst 