This Photographer Recreates His Photos Of Strangers From 40 Years Ago And The Results Are Stunning

• 12:47 pm October 7, 2022
• suhas

Chris Porsz, a British photographer, is well-known for his unusual project "Reunions," which records the lives of people in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire. One would suppose that it refers to simple street photography, but Porsz has been working on his project for over 40 years. What distinguishes his endeavor is that he photographs the same people posing in the same locations years after the original photograph was taken. Chris has been working on part 2 of his "Reunions" project for the last fifteen months, with the first images dating back to the 1970s.

#1 Mr Gino (Original 1980 – Reunion May 2021)

Genesio Borrillo (aka Gino), an ice cream vendor on Cromwell Road, is shown serving Zahida Parveen. When he moved to Peterborough from Italy, he acquired an ice cream van and spent the summer selling ice cream. He opened a pasta shop in Peterborough in 1992, which he currently manages with his wife Clara and daughter Lucia. He is the father of three children and the grandfather of four grandchildren. "I used to live near Cromwell Road and I'd often get ice cream from Gino; I generally got a cone with strawberry drizzle and sometimes a chocolate flake," Zahida explained. "I believe I was about seven years old in the shot." Zahida is still a Peterborough resident with three children and a grandson. “It was lovely having my picture taken again.”

#2 Ford Cortina (Original 1980 – Reunion June 2021)

In 1980, Paul Smith was taken in front of a Ford Cortina on Cobden Street in Peterborough. From 1978 until 1982, he worked as a porter at Peterborough District Hospital, some of that time with Chris Porsz. "The shot was taken outside my flat, and it was my neighbor's car," he explained. Paul has two children and works as a DJ for Peterborough Community Radio. Chris had difficulty locating a matching Cortina because they are quite rare, but a buddy phoned him to tell he had spotted a red one on a drive. Chris knocked, and the owners, Maurice and Joan Bradford, were delighted to lend their Ford Cortina Mk 5 Crusader for the reunion photograph. "I," Chris added. "I asked Paul to dress brightly to bring the old monochrome photo to life, and as you can see, he didn't disappoint!"

#3 Carrot And Stick (Original 1981 – Reunion July 2021)

Bernard has been married to Irene for 58 years, and the couple has two daughters, three granddaughters, and three great-grandchildren. He has spent the last 30 years painting in oil. He also collects image tins, amassing a collection of 31,500 in the previous 13 years, which he exhibits in his home.

"It was one of the most strange and hilarious reunions I've ever done," Chris stated. All goes to Bernard, who was a fantastic sport and always up for a laugh, and to Vanessa and Jerry Rice of Four Acres of Thorney, near Peterborough, who kindly offered Jessica, a 10-year-old. They have four additional donkeys, Dyliss, Molly, Ronnie, and Reggie, who were always attempting to get the carrots.

#4 Ever Ready (Original 1980 – Reunion August 2020)

Adalat Khan and Amir Baz had a newsagent in Peterborough's Cobden Street/ Cromwell Road from 1979 until 1996 and were photographed in 1980. They are now retired and continue to reside in Peterborough. Adalat is married and has two sons, whereas Amir is married and has a son and a daughter.

"As you can see from their faces, they loved getting back behind the counter and wanted to stay to serve a few more customers," Chris added.

#5 Red Hot (Original Circa 1981 – Reunion August 2020)

Tim Davies spent five years in the early 1980s working as a blacksmith at a forge at Thorpe Hall (now a Sue Ryder hospice) in Peterborough. "It was something I'd always wanted to do, and when the opportunity arose, I jumped at it," he explained. I learned on the job and enjoyed every minute of it. It was a pleasant and really fulfilling ability to master." He eventually went on to work for two years out of Grimsby on highly dangerous deep sea fishing trawlers around Greenland and beyond.

"I returned home for a more established, safer, and quieter existence," Tim explained, "so I became a security guard in the local work centre as I am a gregarious person who enjoys meeting and assisting others." Tim, who has a daughter named Gwendoline, retired in 2012 and now visits the Wortley Almshouses to enjoy quality ale and the companionship of his pals. Tim went to a forge in Thorney for his 2020 reunion shot, where he met blacksmith John Downing. "I saw the forge and it started pulling on my heart strings; it brought back loads of great memories," he continued.

#6 Fun At The Fair (Original 1985 – Reunion May 2021)

Friends Toni Cray (née Pignatiello) and Teresa Weston (née McPartlin) were photographed on the Sizzler at Peterborough's Town Bridge Fair in 1985. "We had just left Stanground Comprehensive School after taking our CSE/GCE exams, and a large group of us went to the fair on Friday night to celebrate," Toni explained. Teresa was 16 and I was 15. It was a fantastic night, and it was truly our last before becoming adults. We didn't have proms back then, so we went to the fair. Seeing Chris's photo brought back all of my recollections from that night. We arrived at 5 p.m. and went on numerous rides, with some of the men going in the tunnel which spins.”