The Collected Works of Alex Bamford

Alex Bamford was brought up in Cornwall and it was the lure of the sea that brought him to Brighton from London over 20 years ago. He made his first photographic ‘collection’ in 2006, systematically recording every VW badge on the split screen camper vans at that year’s rally on Madeira Drive. As an advertising art director with a background in Graphic Design, laying images out in grids came as second nature. 

‘Like all avid collectors, one was never going to be enough. VW’s were followed by vintage Minis, Land Rovers, Morris Minors and any classic vehicle that drove on mass from London to Brighton. What fascinated me were the subtle differences between the badges; almost imperceptible design changes over the years, weathered crackles in the enamel or sometimes customisations by the proud owners. I’ve always hated the use of generalisations and these collections seemed like a metaphor for that. A celebration of the tiny differences between things we assume to be identical.