Paul Trevor’s “Like You’ve Never Been Away”

Probably the most discussed exhibition of the current Liverpool International Photography Festival is Paul Trevor’s “Like You’ve Never Been Away”. Trevor spent five months in a flat in Everton in 1975 taking photos for a project studying inner city deprivation, and the full result of his efforts are now on display at the Walker Art Gallery. Trevor’s black and white photos, largely based in Everton and Toxteth, tend to fall into two categories; a selection of staged individual and family portraits and, more interestingly for me, unguarded shots of predominately children going about their business. These latter shots emote in the same way as the work of the likes of Robert Doisneau or Willy Ronis, albeit in a markedly different setting.



Some have tried to draw far reaching conclusions about the photos providing us with evidence of some Life on Mars panacea where kids made their own entertainment, everyone knew everyone else and ‘health and safety’ wasn’t ruining our lives, ignoring the associated but unseen risk and danger that was potentially around the corner for the subjects (a taste of which is covered in the brief documentary about Trevor’s recent return to the area that forms part of the exhibition). For me it is what it is: a beautifully shot reflection of a period in time, especially as a non-native of the city who has seen much change in the past 14-15 years, but has little conception of the look of Liverpool in that earlier decade. Carrying on at The Walker after the end of the Festival and running until the end of September, there is no excuse not to get along and have a look.