THE SHORES OF NORMANDY

June 2019.

The Shores of Normandy is a portraiture and documentary project dedicated using reenactors to re-present the stories of D-Day for a new generation. With each passing day the Second World War passes from living memory therefore new forms of remembrance are becoming ever more important. The project incorporates portraits alongside landscapes of these now peaceful places where 75 years ago war was raging. Concentrating on the capture of reenactors she hopes to embody the importance of remembrance and how important reenactors are in representing this history to a new generation.

In June 2019 Katie Streather visited Normandy with her closest friends to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of D-Day on the 6th June 1944. Having been so moved by her experience there as a reenactor representing the American Army Nursing Corps as well as the French Resistance it became evident that she need to produce a piece of work that acknowledge that incredible experience that will stay with her for the rest of her life. 

The portraits, taken on Katie’s Rolleiflex New Standard (1937-1941), capture these reenactors representing different groups that contributed to D-Day. Kirt James Tabberer representing a British Army General Service Soldier, Lucy Eastwood representing the American Red Cross and Jack Arthur Shaw representing a French Resistance fighter. It was particularly important for Katie to capture the portraits on this camera as it provides a physical link to the past, 75 years previously someone somewhere could have been photographing the actual people that contributed to D-Day on this exact camera. Being able to combine peaceful landscapes of Normandy where so many young men fought and died alongside portraits of reenactors and the words of Jim Radford (D-Day Veteran ) creates this incredible poignant piece of work that reflects the experiences of those who were there and acknowledges their contribution through re-enactment.