Concrete Names

These two panels of 16 photographs document the people who write or scratch their names into concrete or stone within the streets of Plymouth, UK. Writing our own name is one of the first things we are taught to write as a child, to make the link between our given name and the individual. This stays with us throughout our adult life and writing our name becomes no more than a formality. To some, writing or scratching your name into wet cement may seem like an act of vandalism, but to others it can be a tempting and romantic act of a gentle subversive nature. The panels of photographs document a time frame of perhaps 40 years, illustrating a number of first name trends throughout those decades as well as mapping certain areas of Plymouth.