Chris Porsz is a well-known street photographer from England. In the 1970s and 1980s, he worked in the English town of Peterborough. At that time, the many eye-catching representatives of English youth fell into his line of sight: rebels, romantics, adventure-seekers. Several decades later, Chris decided to track down the people he had photographed and to recreate the scenes from the original images with them in perfect detail.
We at Liked Video were fascinated by Chris’s project, as well as by the way that life can take such unexpected turns.
Railway Kiss (1980 and 2009)
1980. Tony is 22 and works as a teacher in Essex. Sally is 21, and she works for the local government. They got married a year later. The couple didn’t know they were being photographed, and it was only 30 years later that Tony first saw the image by chance in a newspaper. The color image on the right was taken in December 2009. Tony and Sally both work as teachers in Lichfield, which is about 100 km from Peterborough. They have two kids, Tom and Jenny.
Ian Medler and Peter Yates (1980 and 2010)
On the left: Ian Medler and Peter Yates walk proudly down the street, 1980. On the right: Peter walks with Ian’s brother Alan, 2010.
Punks on the Steps (1980 and 2015)
From left to right: John Church, Kim Guest, Gary Wymer, Mirko Obradovic, Ade Lawrence, Sean Adams, and Mark Winsworth were pictured on the steps of Cathedral Square in Peterborough in the early 1980s. Today, John is a painter and decorator and plays in a band along with Ade, who works as a garbage man. Garry continues to work as a butcher. Mirko works in a brick factory. The more recent photograph is missing Kim and Sean, who passed away.
Before and After 30 Years
The first photo shows Jennifer Hall in 1985, and the second shows her in 2015.
Waiting for the Phone (1981 and 2016)
From left to right: John Morris, Paul Bernard, and Andrew Pollard. The three school friends still spend their weekends together, riding their bikes around the center of the town.
Metal Mickey (1980 and 2016)
Steve Osborn was known as Metal Mickey in the 1980s as he broke both his legs several times in a series of motorbiking accidents and had plates and bolts put in them. He said, «I even carried on riding my bike with my leg in a cast!» Steve, who now uses walking sticks to get around, lives in Spalding, Lincolnshire, and is married. He had four children, but his son died in 2012.
Jewelry Assistant (1990 and 2015)
Vicki Gracey worked as a sales assistant in a jewelry store in the Queensgate Shopping Centre for two years. Vicki has since had jobs in bars, in retail, hairdressing, and restaurants, and currently deals with tenancy sustainability. She still lives in the city and is married with two children.
Nobby (1980 and 2015)
In the 1980s, Michael Ross, who is from Scotland and is affectionately known as Nobby, lived in a bus shelter for 10 years in terrible conditions after his house burned down. A few years ago, the local authorities helped him find new housing.
Dog and Tina (1985 and 2015)
Punks Tina Tarr and her partner, Dog, were pictured near the cathedral in Peterborough when Tina was 18. The couple left the city in the 1990s and went traveling. They have twins, but they are no longer together. Tina now lives in Dorset and makes willow products and hosts weaving workshops. Dog does hedge laying and gardening and lives in South West Wales. “I remember the photo being taken, it was a brilliant time. I had various styles of punk hair for quite a few years,“ said Tina. Dog added, ”They were good times, I still had hair then.»
