As You Were is an inventory of stories. The images of empty public spaces (religious, civic, athletic and cultural) are captured in a way that highlights their architectural and dioramic qualities. Meant to evoke the stillness of empty theatre sets, they encourage the viewer to move from spectator to author: to fill each space with their own real or imagined stories. As You Were is also autobiographical: although the places are unfamiliar, textures and palettes trigger specific memories (the wood-panelling of my grandparents’ house, the colour scheme of a childhood sporting club, the crushed velvet upholstery of a favourite reading chair). Together with the viewer, I place myself anachronistically into each photo, filling it with a feeling of reminiscence and sentimental longing for the past. 

Despite appearances, each photographed space is still in use, occupying a vital role in an invisible but vibrant community. As You Were raises the questions: does romanticizing a space inadvertently diminish it? Without meaning to, can our continuous projections of the past stop us from recognizing that new stories can unfold in old spaces?