The world-famous documentary photographer’s work showcases the city’s colourful Parade March, the 45k attendee-strong festival on The Downs, and all the different walks of life that come to celebrate and protest at Bristol Pride.
Parr’s work has become synonymous with fly-on-the-wall and candid documentary style, often provoking a mixed reaction and creating narratives with his perspective. His work has been collected by many of the world’s leading museums, from the Tate, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Having attended Bristol Pride multiple times as an attendee, Parr’s snapshots reveal a fascinating insight into the busy, colourful, and joyful event that Bristol Pride puts on annually.
This free exhibition can be found upstairs in Bristol Museum and runs from the 27 May until November.
I have photographed over 4 Prides and it is always one of the best days for shooting in the Bristol calendar.
I like shooting when people are assembling for the march, and also gives me a chance to shoot some great home made placards
and to isolate these, to give them more presence. It is fantastic how Pride marches are now enjoyed by so many people. This would not have been the case when these marches started as the acceptance of the gay/ trans sections of society is now so much greater.
Bristol Pride is a unique and important event that celebrates the LGBT+ community offering the chance to connect people.
As well as showcasing our wonderfully diverse community, Pride is about overcoming prejudice, hatred, reducing isolation, and showing members of the LGBT+ community that they are not alone. Pride Day is an amazing day filled with joy, love, protest and celebration.
Bristol Pride is the chance for us all to work towards creating a better society together, for friends, family and allies to show their support and for members of the community to live authentically and proudly.
We are a registered charity and as well as putting on an incredible two weeks of events, and annual music and arts festival, we work all year round to challenge homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia and promote equality and diversity, for all. We do this through various events, school visits, consultation services and lobbying.
As well as tackling political and social landscape, we work hard to bring the community together to celebrate and create opportunities. We want to build unity and bring joy to safe spaces, as well as tackling discrimination. As well as our year round work, our main activity takes place across the first two weeks of July each year with events ranging from Theatre, Film, Comedy, Music, and even a Pride Dog show. Our two week Pride ends with a Parade through the city and Pride Day Festival on The Downs.
What catches your eye at Pride?
I guess Pride is a fantastic thing to photograph because people dress up, it’s very colourful, they really go out of their way to make an effort and it’s the day where you can put anything on and no one bats an eyelid, in fact the crazier you look the better it is, so it’s a no-brainer for me. I particularly like the start of the march where everyone congregates, so you’re able to see people milling around and that goes on for about an hour and a half, before the march even sets out. I’m also looking for handmade placards, which people have done themselves, and I often photograph them in the park area so I can get an isolated shot with just them in the foreground to give the image more presence.
Have you seen Pride change or evolve over the years?
I haven’t really because I’ve only been attending for about 4 years or so; the first year I did, it was when it was still down in the dock and then it moved up to The Downs and the whole event in the afternoon and evening became much bigger – You’ve got five stages now? So it’s really come into its own by making that move, I think it’s a great thing you did. It’s just got bigger and bigger.
Why should people come to the Martin Parr x Bristol Pride exhibition?
I think it’s a good opportunity to see the different photographs I’ve taken over the last 4 years or so, and you see pictures of the march, pictures before the march, you see in the afternoon especially now up at The Downs which has got a great atmosphere. There’s so much to see up there and you can just go from one thing to the other. There’s always something to look at, so it is very photogenic I have to say. So hopefully I’ve captured some of the atmosphere that you feel when you’re there in the photographs.
And do you have a particular favourite from the exhibition?
I haven’t actually because I haven’t seen them blown up – They look really different when they’re blown up to size rather than looking at a very small contact print. So I’m yet to make a decision on which will be my favourite; I’m waiting for the show and then I can decide.
