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Open for Business

The story of contemporary British manufacturing and industry, told through the lenses of nine Magnum photographers.

Gallery

Jonas Bendiksen, Stuart Franklin, Bruce Gilden, David Hurn, Peter Marlow, Martin Parr, Mark Power, Chris Steele-Perkins and Alessandra Sanguinetti visited over 100 workplaces across the UK, from one-man businesses to FTSE 100 companies.

Their photographs take us from traditional, handmade crafts to modern, intelligent automation; from foundries and assembly lines to research laboratories and high tech cleanrooms, showing an economic sector of extraordinary resilience and diversity.

British industry faces several challenges, and Open for Business set out to reveal the daily struggle as businesses attempt to cut costs, streamline processes and level up to international competition. The project captured British manufacturing’s effect on culture and community life, and celebrated the work, activities and lives of its employees.

For more information about the project, visit the Open for Business website. See behind-the-scenes images of the photographers’ shoots on the Open for Business Tumblr.

Acknowledgements

Open for Business is a collaborative project funded by the Arts Council England in partnership with Multistory, Magnum Photos, this museum, the Museum of Science and Industry, the National Railway Museum, the Science Museum, the University of South Wales, Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery, MShed and Street Level Photoworks.

Funder

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