Manchester creatives relish in peculiarities of northern life
Manchester-based photography team, Shaw and Shaw, and Dave Simpson of Manchester’s Music design agency, have collaborated with a Manchester postman to produce a collection of vignettes and photography exploring the human condition in all its eccentricit
Kevin Boniface, ‘Operational Grade Delivery Officer’ in Huddersfield, has been keeping a diary since the early days of his 15 year postal career, documenting the routine yet strange weekday occurrences on his rounds and the characters he meets along the way... such as Rod Singleton, immortal sage of the Post Office smoking room, and his proffered wisdom on all things from rabbit stew to Christina Aguilera (‘If she had Jordan’s tits she would be the perfect woman – apart from her face.’)
The resulting ‘Lost in the Post’ is a random collection of funny sketches, alongside mundane yet bizarre photography from Shaw and Shaw, and some of the most arbitrary ‘found notes’ imaginable (everything from discarded shopping lists to the proclamation ‘Kati loves prison & court’ scrawled on an IKEA complaints form).
Jo and Christoph Shaw seek out the tawdry details of northern life for various magazines, advertising and design agencies, and an exhibition of their work along with stories from this collection will run at Magma bookshop in Manchester until the end of the month.
Lost in the Post by Kevin Boniface, with photography by Shaw and Shaw, is published by Old Street, £8.99, ISBN 9781905847532. Available now.