Laura Jane Coulson Sweeteens, 2021

A new limited edition publication from Laura Coulson, available for pre-order now.

Sweeteens is a collaboration with PEOPLEFILE and is designed by Jasmine Raznahan (ARPA Studio). Net proceeds will be donated to YOUNGMiNDS, the children's mental health charity.

'In May 2020, at the end of an unseasonably warm spring, lockdown began to lift – and with it, to everybody’s surprise, the thrum of friction that soundtracks a city like London subsided. The percussive clang of discord, usually a constant companion from borough to borough, was temporarily silent. In its place, harmony hung like a low haze over the streets, sinking into the cracks between buildings and soothing their inhabitants. Permitted to spend time outside again, Londoners were drawn to the city’s green spaces to see their friends and family – from a distance, kind of.

The combination of proximity after months spent in isolation, the quiet joy of reunion, intimacy and idle chatter, the bittersweet recognition of what had been lost in a few short months all melded together, glued by heat, relief, a kind of raw, hopeful happiness. The atmosphere was defiant, gentle, bold and jubilant. It felt strangely calm. This is the city that Laura Jane Coulson captures, in the photographs that follow. A couple of weeks later, something in the air had changed again, and the spell was over. The cacophony returned, coarse and dissonant as ever. But that, of course, is part of the magic.'

A limited edition of 150 copies. 200 x 240mm, printed on ArcoPrint Milk 300gsm, thread sewn – exposed bound. Pre-order now for shipping in May, exclusive stocked at Claire de Rouen.