Press

By Holly Black

"Britain’s ubiquitous graffiti-strewn carparks, rundown bus stations, and no-frills pubs might not seem like obvious subjects for artistic scrutiny. But these seemingly innocuous places hold a special kind of magic for Adam Murray and Robert Parkinson, who started documenting them a decade ago in Preston, the northern city where both artists lived and worked at the time. Now, the pair looks over the legacy of their collaborative project with a new book, Preston is my Paris: 2009–2019, presenting a slice of the huge amount of imagery they produced..."

Founded by Adam Murray and Robert Parkinson, Preston is my Paris is, according to Murray, “a photocopied zine with the intention of encouraging the exploration of Preston as a subject for creative practice.” The duo’s seminal work included Preston Bus Station, a limited-edition newsprint publication created with Jamie Hawkesworth at the very start of his career. Published by Dashwood Books, this book toasts ten years of the project with over 100 photographs from the Preston is my Paris archive.

By Megan Williams

"The north of England has long captured the fascination of the wider nation and beyond. Liverpool and Manchester are both heralded as cultural epicentres, having collectively spawned some of music’s most iconic bands and left a lasting impression on club culture. Meanwhile, photographers, filmmakers and fashion designers from the past and present have been inspired by, and have in turn inspired, the image of the north.

However, Preston – a relatively young city, having only been awarded city status in 2002 – has often escaped the attention afforded to its neighbours. That’s not to say it’s undeserving...

TJ Sidhu

"Nestled just to the left of Blackburn in Lancashire, Preston only gained city status in 2002. With a population of approximately 141,346, it’s tiny and generally isn’t considered one of the UK’s great cultural hubs unlike it’s friendly Northern neighbour Manchester, but that’s not to say it isn’t thriving.

Historically a boomtown of the Industrial Revolution in the 19^th century, the city experienced a financial crash in 2011 when Preston’s The Tithebarn – a city centre regeneration initiative with a £700mil investment behind it – was abandoned when its main anchor John Lewis pulled out. Job opportunities became non-existent, and a gaping hole was left in the place of Preston’s...