Open for Business

In 2013, Multistory commissioned nine of the world’s leading photographers to document contemporary British manufacturing working in partnership with Magnum Photography agency. During a period of great economic instability, and where questions are being raised about the strength of western economies within the worldwide market, there has never been a more relevant time to explore the condition of Britain’s manufacturing future.

As a country built on the success of the Industrial Revolution, manufacturing is intrinsically linked to Britain’s worldwide economic position. The Industrial Revolution also marks a significant period of visual recording, including the paintings of Joseph Wright and L.S Lowry. This documentation was continued and expanded on with the invention of photography and by post-war photographers such as Maurice Broomfield and Walter Nurnberg, creating a rich and diverse historical archive. Magnum’s own collection of British industrial photographs begins with WWII and shows the very resilience of British manufacturing being explored by Open for Business. The new commissions build on this photographic history of recording manufacturing and create a contemporary British archive, to be gifted to some of the UK’s most significant collections.

Open for Business is a collaborative project funded by the Arts Council England and in partnership with UK cultural institutions: National Media Museum; Manchester Museum of Science & Industry; National Railway Museum; London Science Museum; University of South Wales, Newport; Plymouth City Museum & Art Gallery; MShed Bristol; and Street Level Photoworks. The result is an ambitious, national touring exhibition throughout 2014 and 2015. The programme also includes a comprehensive website, a series of newspapers and a bespoke education programme.

To view the images produced and to read more about this national project please use this link to the website here.