In Absence from Preston, 2022

‘In Absence from Preston’ (2022) follows on from my photobook ‘In Absence’ (2020), creating a portrait of John Boothby’s early and working life as illustrated by pieces of Prestonian history. Before John’s passing in 2019 I sat down with him to record an unscripted interview, in which he reminisces stories of growing up in Ribbleton, travelling across Europe and his work with Preston Borough Police. The Boothby archive photographs and footage show Preston and Lancashire through from 1939 - 59. Supported by archive footage and found imagery from Preston’s Digital Archive and Preston’s Historical Society, this short film looks to tell the story of John Boothby’s life in relation to Preston’s history.