DESCRIPTION
In the late 19th Century, Sheffield was the steel capital of the world and when Portland Works opened in 1879, it epitomised a city and an industry in ascension. Today, Portland Works is one of the last working examples of a purpose-built metal trades factory in the UK, now sat in the looming shadow of the modernised Bramall Lane football stadium, home of Sheffield United FC, or The Blades.
One of the remaining metal tradesmen in Portland Works is knife-maker, Stuart Mitchell. In 1980, his parents moved the family business, Pat Mitchell Cutlers, across town to Portland Works and Stuart, aged 10, began helping out in the workshop at the weekends. 40 years later and, although Pat Mitchell Cutlers is sadly no more, that same family workshop is now home to Stuart Mitchell Knives, the setting for these photographs.
Rather than focusing on the sharpened and shining finished products, these images honour the erosion, scars and callouses that adorn the tools and machinery of the workshop, formed from decades of hard, unforgiving work. When combined with the enticing textures of the raw materials that will form the knives, the workshop becomes a fascinating and beguiling visual experience.
AUTHOR
Theo Deproost’s fine-art work displays a clear and unifying objective - to nurture a more exploratory, imaginative and gratifying approach to viewing the world around us; probing the liminal space between art, documentation and education. When producing photographic work, Deproost strives to combine a high level of technical ability with an inquisitive creativity.
+ Winner of Honourable Mention, ND Awards, 2023
+ Short-listed in the British Photography Awards, fine-art category, 2023
+ Awarded ‘Official Selection’, International Photography Awards, 2023
+ Winner of Honourable Mention, Paris Photo Prize, 2023
+ Short-listed for the Royal Photographic Society’s International Photography Exhibition, 2023
+ Lost In Time featured in an article by Aesthetica Magazine, 2023
+ Special guest on ‘Jo Durrant’s Beautiful Universe’ podcast, ep.133, available on Spotify, Amazon, Apple, 2023
+ Nominated for Fine Art Photography Awards, 2023
+ Unfamiliar featured in an article by the British Journal of Photography, 2023
+ Long-listed for the Aesthetica Art Prize, 2023
+ Unfamiliar featured in an article by The Hippocratic Post, 2023
+ Unfamiliar featured in an article by Wallpaper*, 2023
+ Solo exhibition, Unfamiliar, at the Royal College of Physicians, 2023
