Blackpool, 1968 by Tony Ray-Jones © National Media Museum

Parr is a British photographer synonymous with the oddities found around the British Isles, and this exhibition follows the thread between  Ray-Jones’ practice and the lasting impression it made on Parr as a student in Manchester. Ray-Jones was a great talent but sadly died at the devastatingly young age of 30. Despite this, there is still a wealth of work that has been preserved, much of which comes from his travels around England in the late 1960s. His critical eye captured a society on the brink of change, leaving behind it’s ‘old-fashioned’ ways. As a documenting tool, Ray-Jones’ camera was keen and perceptive but his artistry and understanding of the moment was unlike anything seen before. The collision of incidents, styles and actions in the images are what make them so peculiar, humorous and unmistakably English.

Beachy Head boat trip, 1967 by Tony Ray-Jones © National Media Museum

Parr has selected 50 works by  Ray-Jones to go on show and they will be accompanied by Parr’s very early black and white shots ‘The Non-Conformists’, executed around Hebden Bridge shortly after Ray-Jones’ death. It’s a different aesthetic from the trademark Parr of highly saturated colour, but these melancholic shots are testament to the visual legacy of Tony Ray-Jones. Not to be missed. (Words: Laura Thornley)

For more info:http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visitmuseum/plan_your_visit/exhibitions/only_in_england.aspx

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