Ian Beesley

Bradford-born Ian Beesley has been documenting his home city and the north of England for over 45 years. His early work in the late-1970s captured the everyday lives of working- class people: kids playing street games, fans chanting for Bradford City FC, and grafters employed in vast Victorian factories. In the 1980s, he proceeded to document the demise of heavy industries, such as mining, iron and steel production. Published by Bluecoat Press, Beesley’s photobook, Life, presents his record of Bradford and the north’s shifting social landscape.
He is currently artist in residence for the Bradford Institute for Health Research and a season ticket holder at Bradford City.