My studio / darkroom is in Finsbury Park, and while it’s not quite as gentrified as other nearby areas, is certainly a different place to where Don grew up. I walk down the street he lived most mornings and always cite it when sending directions from the tube stations to new clients coming to visit. While he mostly prints his own work, I did a bit of work for him a few years back. It was for an exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in London of the heads of different faiths in the UK. Not the exhibition prints, which he did, but the smaller 12x16s to give to all the subjects. Heads of the Anglican and Catholic church, the leading Iman and Rabbi etc.
NPG link
When Don heard where I was based, he wanted to have the meeting to brief me at my work, near his old home, but sadly he didn’t have time so we met at the NPG with the curator. He’s a man with quite a dry and mournful sense of humour, as others who have worked with him will probably agree. After handing me the negatives he said something along the lines of ‘I hope these are not too much of a burden to print and if your prints are better than mine, well I will hate you forever!’ I think his tongue may have been in his cheek but can’t say for sure!
I went to the private view of the exhibition and nine of the ten subjects were there. While I don’t profess to having any religious beliefs myself, (though absolutely respect those that do), I have to admit there was a definite atmosphere and energy in the room. It was heartening to see how all these important people, with very different religious background, seemed to be getting on fine, chatting away to each other. I hope they enjoyed the refreshments as much as I did!