Explore the people of Salford at their homes with new exhibition

Opening on the 25th of January and running for three months in the Working Class Movement Library, this free exhibition In the Face of Dwelling combines portrait photographs of the city’s working-class people with photos and architectural drawings that illustrate the types of houses they lived in.

Each portrait is linked to a different type of dwelling; some were very common, others were quite specific and have become obsolete. Most of the photos were sourced from Digital Salford but some were provided by people who lived all their lives in Salford. And the exhibition also features hand drawings, made by a recent graduate of the University of Salford, Laura Janicka.

Dr Tanja Poppelreuter, an academic at the University of Salford and Alex Mitchell are organising the event.

Tanja said: “Seeing architectural drawings, historic photographs of houses, and portraits of people who lived in these houses side by side really does awaken our empathy with the living conditions of past generations.”

“When set side-by-side these images evoke memories and make us wonder about the daily lives and struggles of families in Salford.”

And Alex Mitchell said: “Some portraits are haunting, shocking even, making us think about the living conditions families endured, others are sweet and amusing, reminding us that no matter how communities change over time, some things – like cutting a wedding cake, or posing with the new bike on the front lawn – never change.

“I would encourage anyone with an interest in the history of Salford and its people to come along and explore the exhibition.”

There will be a special opening event on Thursday, 25th of January 4-6pm at the Working Class Movement Library to open the exhibition, which is also free to attend.

The exhibition is part of the research project: The Modern Backdrop. To collaborate and to find event announcements visit: https://hub.salford.ac.uk/modern-salford/