Birmingham based photographer and film maker Pogus Caesar launches a new book during The Birmingham Book Festival,  in October.

The publication was specially commissioned by Be Birmingham and published by OOM Gallery Archive and Punch.

Sparkbrook Pride

‘Sparkbrook Pride’ consists of 70 black and white photographs featuring residents of Sparkbrook, Birmingham, UK – where Pogus grew up, all taken with his trademark Canon Sureshot 35mm camera.

The book also has a foreword written by poet, author and playright Benjamin Zephaniah and an introduction by Paris based photographer Nigel Dickinson.

In the foreword Zephaniah says “I love the ‘rawness’ of these photos, they have a sense of place, yet nothing is staged, and the only information Pogus gives us about those featured is how they define themselves, nothing more. We need no more. So people, it is down to us to piece together the rest of this multicultural puzzle”.

Last autumn Caesar regularly visited Sparkbrook, and the striking images in ‘Sparkbrook Pride’ are the result. Documenting the diverse individuals who live and work in the area, the book features both the long standing residents from the West Indies, Ireland, India and Pakistan and the more recent additions to the community from Somalia, Sudan, Malawi and Afghanistan, celebrating the rich cultural mix that defines the area.

Pogus Caesar is a leading social documentary photographer. He has recorded key moments in Birmingham’s recent history including the Bullring regeneration, Birmingham tornado and the Handsworth riots. According to Caesar “Simplicity is best when working with diverse communities; I prefer to photograph the changing world as it unfolds around me”.

Made in association with OOM Gallery Archive and Punch will launch Sparkbrook Pride on 10th October 2011 during The Birmingham Book Festival.