BIG NEWS & Jacqui McAssey Talk

So just a quick update, I have planned a shoot with the stone quarry again for Friday 24th March. I am looking forward to go, this time, I am not taking my tripod, because it was awkward to carry and move around with. Having come back and edited my images, I noticed some dirt on my camera which had affected some of the images. So reshooting would be a great idea, this time with more interest in the people who work there.

Big News: Myfootball zine work is going to displayed at the Open Eye Gallery as a response to the North exhibition, so I am very excited.

I seem to spend more time in Liverpool than in Chester, I constantly seem to be catching the train to go to football matches, exhibitions, shopping and now for talks. Here's one of the images I have taken over the last week:

To keep updated with the images I take everyday, follow my Instagram page @matthewlainchburyphotography. I try and update a new images everyday. Sorry for going off topic. Having heard that Jacqui McAssey (the creator of the Girlfan zine) would be at the Open Eye Gallery in Liverpool, I had to go due to her being one of my main inspirations.

The talk was interesting, as her work was more based around the idea of clothing and how people showed their teams colours in different ways. Although the work is purely portraiture, it isn't extremely different to mine and my way of looking at how the prematch experience has changed. Having links with various people such as Adam Murray the person behind Preston is My Paris, helped with the selling of her zine.

One topic which was brought up, whilst she was talking was how their was a female version of football tops which has a different neck compared to the male match replicas. Although it wasn't an attack on the premier league clubs, the work is a voice for all the female fans that attend the matches. McAssey even helped with ideas for my book whilst in the talk because she put me onto the Football Collective, which is a community for football fans.

She mentioned that the books were printed in newspaper for that almost match day programme feel, which I also went for. I feel it was a shame to have the colour pictures printed on newspaper print, as you lose the vibrant colours. This project is something which she is going to do until she runs out of football teams.

Each of her books is a season:

2013/14- Liverpool Fans

2015/16- Everton Fans

Now- Manchester City Fans

Future- Two new clubs & Publications

Overall the talk was great, really insightful and helpful towards my book project. Having a chance to have a conversation about her work and then about my own (she even knew my work), was great. She even mentioned helping me to promote it. It really got me thinking about my redesigning of my book, which got me to thinking about creating a series of books, but one per month (if theres enough games for me to attend):

Having spoken to Tom Wood (my guest lecturer) we narrowed it down to these two covers for Game One (same content as my first book) and Game Two (New content). I know this design will need some tweaking but I am happy with the covers, it just box sizes and font sizes to adjust now. I am really excited to get these sorted and into print. To sum up what the books are about:

"The whole match day experience has changed around Liverpool FC (even my dad's favourite chippy). The once simple task of turning up to a match and supporting your side, is now a complex experience where they offer 'gourmet' food (£7.50 for fish and chips), 'special' match day souvenirs and prematch 'entertainment'. "

So fingers crossed this should soon be in print and hopefully start selling them either via this website, tic tail or through another means.

Thanks for reading this far,

Matt