I WITNESS

Photographs by Duncan Shepherd

"The events of 1939-45 have in many ways defined the latter half of the twentieth century and the war is still very evident within contemporary culture..... but for an increasing percentage of the population it seems more myth that reality. Without having experienced even remotely similar circumstances, it is impossible to imagine how it really was."

"The people featured in this exhibition have all been photographed since January 1999. They are unremarkable in that they are either my relatives, neighbours or friends, or they are relatives, etc. of my friends and colleages. What these people share is a common experience. For them the war is not myth but memory, an essential part of their lives."

"Accompanying each image is a selected and edited transcript taken directly from a recorded conversation between myself and the subject, giving a first hand account of their war time experiences..."