Photography by new contributor Orlando Gili, published by Hoxton Mini Press, with an introduction by Lucy Davies.
From cheese rolling to opera: a photographic study of what leisure time means for the English.
When the UK decided to leave the EU, London-born photographer Orlando Gili set out to capture who the English really are. He fixed his lens on the nation’s rather strange love
of leisure. This book, now published in a different time, is a document of the freedoms that we now so sorely miss. From horse racing to wartime reenactments, carnivals to clubs, from ancient and quintessential rituals (medieval village bottle-kicking competitions) to the more modern (Santa pub crawls) the images reveal that which unites a divided nation: a relentless desire for organised fun. Trivial Pursuits is a celebration of the community, culture and tradition of the English… recorded just before the world changed.
‘Gili’s images focus on the group rather than the individual, offering a panoptic version of English identity, one that emphasis the timelessness and spirit-lifting properties of these pastimes.’ Lucy Davies from the introduction
Orlando Gili is a London-based photographer working for editorial and commercial clients, in addition to documentary projects with a focus on leisure, community and identity.
The book is available from Hoxton Mini Press here
