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Aukett Swanke has won the Capturing Clerkenwell photography competition, with runners up BDG and MCM narrowly missing out on the top prize. Ailin Lacey from Aecom and Matthew Morelli from tp bennett were also given special mentions for individual photographs.
The competition invited architects from top UK firms to photograph Smithfield Market and explore its character, history and future. It was hosted by furniture brands Humanscale and Bene, with a judging panel including architectural photographer Edmund Sumner; Anna Sparham, Curator of Photographs at the Museum of London; and Jenny Brewer, deputy editor at onoffice magazine. Other entrants included teams from Gensler, Pringle Brandon Perkins+Will, BDP, Penson, HLW, Spacelab and Edge.
The architects submitted a curated display of up to five photographs, to be assessed by the panel. The judges commented: “The standard was really high, and so diverse. Some were heavily thematic, others more honest, and the compositions were creative. It was amazing to see how everyone interpreted the subject from all sorts of perspectives.”
On Aukett Swanke’s winning display (above), the judges commented, “This group of shots has good scope, capturing the heritage and character of Smithfield and really telling its story. Particularly the combination of the architectural shot, showing the old and new buildings, and the portrait of a market worker in action.
“The curated set is sophisticated, subtle, not cliched or sensational. A strong set of pictures that sit neatly together. The photographers had a good eye for scale and composition.”
All the entrants attended a photography masterclass at Humanscale’s Clerkenwell showroom with architectural photographer Edmund Sumner. Onoffice’s Jenny Brewer also gave a talk on the history of the market. Then, the architects toured Smithfield market while the market was fully in action, and at night when it was closed, both times with cameras in hand.
The final photographs were exhibited at Bene’s showroom, where the prizes were handed out. You can see photos from the evening here.
The top three photography displays by Aukett Swanke, BDG and MCM will be featured in the February issue of onoffice magazine, out mid January. Subscribe here to make sure you receive your copy.
