The free exhibition, curated by Mark Davy of Futurecity, will run from Wednesday 2 September until Sunday 26 October 2014.
Levene, one of the Guardian’s award-winning photographers, has been taking photographs for the Guardian’s pioneering Eyewitness series since it began in 2005. In total he has had over 120 photographs featured in the daily slot, and has now chosen ten of his favourites for this exhibition. Each photograph has been blown up to over 1.5m across, allowing viewers to experience these powerful and monumental images on a scale at which they have never been seen before.
According to the Guardian, Guardian Eyewitness was revolutionary when it was introduced in full colour across the centre spread of the Guardian newspaper in 2005. Now the only daily print photo feature of this size in the British press, the hugely popular Eyewitness series continues showcase some of the world’s best news photography. In recent years Eyewitness has proved just as popular on digital platforms, launching as one of the first ever iPad apps in 2010. Since launch the free app has clocked up over a million users around the world.
David Levene says: “An Eyewitness photograph should always provoke the feeling of being involved or part of the scene, and that is something that I always consider when I am composing or thinking about the subject that I am shooting. The exhibition selection began with a conversation with Mark Davy at Futurecity. We discussed how big the images would be, how they appear on the page and how this would be mirrored on the wall. There are lots of things that are important and that I love about Eyewitness but the overarching rule is to have lots of detail, and lots to look at, and to be able to exhibit some of my images on an even larger scale is a great opportunity.”
Mark Davy, director of Futurecity, comments: “David Levene's images set out unequivocally the heroic struggle of life in the city - multiple viewpoints and an epic scale force the viewer to contemplate the retina-searing visual chaos of urban life.”
Alongside the exhibition, Foyles will be hosting a discussion on Wednesday 24 September exploring the journey of an Eyewitness image from its conception to appearing in the Guardian and beyond. Free tickets for the event, Guardian Eyewitness: from lens to page, which will feature David Levene alongside key members of the Guardian’s picture desk and imaging team, can be booked on the Foyles website.
This will be the second exhibition in The Gallery at Foyles, located on the fifth floor of the new Foyles bookshop at 107 Charing Cross Road, and curated by Futurecity to celebrate ‘the word’ in all its forms. The Art book department is located by the main entrance on the ground floor.
Mohara Gill, Head of Art at Foyles adds: “Photojournalism can often be a more effective and immediate medium for communicating a point of view or observation than the written word. These photographs still retain the crispness and minute detail they exhibited on the page, making it possible to pick out individuals in the crowd and to appreciate the immensity of man's mark on the landscape.”
