This street photographer tracks down people he captured over 30 years ago
I don’t think anyone else has tracked down so many strangers and recreated photos in this way before, says Porsz
Multimedia Desk |
December 15, 2016
Amateur photographer Chris Porsz took to the streets during the 1970s, 80s and 90s photographing hundreds of people going about their daily lives. Walking around the streets of Peterborough almost 40 years later, Porsz tracked down the same people to recreate their pictures which are illustrated beautifully in a new book.
Porsz managed to recreate some of the pictures in the same locations and captured around 135 reunions. Paired with text by writer Jo Riley, each picture tells the story behind the faces.
Here we look at some of his pictures showing the stark comparison 40 years on.
Three sisters were spotted sitting in the window of their house on Cromwell Road. 'We often used to perch in the window and watch what was going on in the road,' said Shehnaz. 'My twin sister and I were about seven and Itrat was nine. We loved riding our bikes with the other children in the street and were good friends with another set of twins. Mum said we were quite a handful'. The three sisters still live in Peterborough and see each other regularly. Shehnaz, who is divorced, has a daughter and looks after elderly and disabled people, together with her twin, who is re-married and has five children. Itrat works for the post office and is married with six children. PHOTO: CHRIS PORSZ
Punks Tina Tarr and her partner Dog were pictured near the Cathedral in Peterborough when Tina was 18. The couple left the city in the 1990s and went travelling. They have twins, but are no longer together. PHOTO: CHRIS PORSZ
Vicki Gracey worked as a sales assistant at a jewellery store in Queensgate Shopping Centre for two years. Vicki has since had jobs behind bars, in retail, hairdressing and restaurants and currently deals with tenancy sustainability. She still lives in the city and is married with two children. 'I'm a people person and I've always had jobs which involve working with the public,' she said. PHOTO: CHRIS PORSZ
Sisters Maria (left) and Annamarie Plavecz were photographed in Star Road. Now, the siblings who have a Hungarian father, both now work as carers. PHOTO: CHRIS PORSZ
Tasbir Singh worked on a stall at the market for four years after leaving school. He then worked for BT and Royal Mail, where he is today. He still lives in the city and is married with three children and four grandchildren. He said: 'I worked on the stall from the age of 18 until I was 22. It was hard working in all weather'. PHOTO: CHRIS PORSZ
Sandra Williams, Carmen Chin and Maureen Mayers were friends from County Grammar School but lost touch over the years and the school was converted into sheltered housing in 1985. 'Carmen was my best friend and lived in my road, so we were always together,' said Sandra, who is now married with four children and a step-daughter and works as a passenger assistant for disabled children and in a coffee shop. Carmen, who is married with four children and now lives in Lincolnshire, where she has a small holding said: 'I think we were the first year to go to the grammar school after it changed from being a comprehensive.' Maureen, who still lives in Peterborough and has four children, had broken her right arm when the photo was taken and hid it behind her back. She said: 'We'd had freezing cold weather and we were playing tag and I slipped over on the ice'. PHOTO: CHRIS PORSZ
Dressed in a fur jacket and gloves, Sandra Burford was pictured going into a hairdressers. Sandra said: 'I used to go there occasionally to have my hair cut by the apprentice, because it worked out a bit cheaper.' She used to work at the Hotpoint factory, but is now retired. Sandra is widowed and has a daughter and three grandsons. The hairdressers has changed hands and is now a Toni & Guy. PHOTO: CHRIS PORSZ
For many years, Neil wandered around Peterborough town centre and played the flute outside the Co-op bank in Westgate. When the book went to print, Neil had not been seen for several months. PHOTO: CHRIS PORSZ
Punks (r to l) John Church, Gary Beckett, Ade Lawrence and Pippa Hodgson were pictured in Cathedral Square, wearing pin badges. John, who is now a painter and decorator in the city, said: 'The other lads were school friends and Pippa was a mutual friend. We used to hang out together and listen to punk music. I think I was about 15 and on the verge of becoming a punk.' John is still friends with Ade and they play in a band together. Gary emigrated to Australia, where he works as a project manager and Pippa now lives in Spain. PHOTO: CHRIS PORSZ
Donna Yarnell was five years old when she was photographed with her three-year-old brother Steven licking ice creams in their front garden. Her family moved out of the house two years later so it brought back lots of memories when the pair returned to the street in February 2015. 'I was really surprised because the front gate was exactly the same,' said Donna, who works in a pub, still lives in Peterborough and has four daughters. Brother Steven also lives in the city and has a son. PHOTO: CHRIS PORSZ
Layla Gordon is pictured drinking her daily bottle of milk at Queens Drive Infants School. She is now a housewife, with a long-term partner and two children and still lives in Peterborough. 'I still like milk but sadly it's not free anymore,' she joked. PHOTO: CHRIS PORSZ
Scotsman Michael Ross, affectionately known as Nobby, lived in a bus shelter for 10 years in terrible conditions after his house burnt down. Nobby, who used to be a head teacher, was given some golf clubs by a passer-by and indulged in his passion by sneaking onto the local course. Local residents thought he had died when he went into sheltered housing around 10 years ago and gave up his bus shelter home. PHOTO: CHRIS PORSZ
Andy, Richard, Tony, Aaron and Devinder were close friends in the 80s. They've organised a schjool reunion to keep in touch. PHOTO: CHRIS PORSZ
Punk Badger Farcue can still remember winning the Pizza Eating Competition in Cathedral Square. 'My friends encouraged me to enter and we had to try and eat a 12-inch cheese and tomato pizza as quickly as possible. I won and got a round of applause and front page of the local paper.' Badger, who has five children, moved to Somerset in 1991 and now tarmacs roads. PHOTO: CHRIS PORSZ
Steve Osborn was known as Metal Mickey in the 1980s as he broke both his legs several times in a series of motor biking accidents and had plates and bolts put in them. He said: 'I even carried on riding my bike with my leg in a cast!'. Steve, who now uses walking sticks to get around, lives in Spalding, Lincolnshire and is married. He had four children, but his son died in 2012. Steve plays the guitar with different bands and has raised more than £20,000 for the National Association of Bikers with a Disability. PHOTO: CHRIS PORSZ
Genesio (Gino) Borrillo bought an ice cream van when he moved to Peterborough from Italy and travelled around the city in the summer selling ice cream. He still runs it with his daughter. PHOTO: CHRIS PORSZ
Sisters Anna (left) and Emma Hankins posed for a picture blowing bubbles with Hubba Bubba bubblegum in Bridge Street. Anna was 11 and Emma was 13 and the girls were waiting for their mum while she was shopping. The siblings, who both went on to have careers in hairdressing, are now married and have families. PHOTO: CHRIS PORSZ