“I AM THRILLED TO BE CURATING THE PHOTOGRAPHY PART OF THE NOISE FESTIVAL. I WANT TO SEE SOMETHING NEW AND I BELIEVE THAT THIS ONLY HAPPENS WHEN YOU ENGAGE WITH THE NEW GENERATION.”
Bury-born Elaine Constantine is famed for her upbeat, colourful portrayal of British youth culture. She’s worked with big brands and top names, such as Vivienne Westwood and she shot the cover art for Moloko’s “Statues”. Her work has been featured in Vanity Fair, American, French and Italian Vogue and she was a regular contributor to The Face and i-D magazines.
Elaine wasn’t academic, so she tried art on a remedial course at college, which of course wasn’t very good. Her focus shifted to sign-writing, custom spraying and air brushing scooters over the two year course. Elaine started attending the Bury Camera Club, where the skills and experience she gained led to her work as a technician, then teacher and a fluke connection that got her onto an apprenticeship as leading photographer, Nick Knight’s assistant, which is what really taught her about the profession.
Her award-winning photography career has seen her receive international accolades; including American Vogue editor Anna Wintour, who dubbed her “one of the most talented fashion photographers of her generation”, following her late nineties fun and youthful approach to the rejection of low-fi grunge. Elaine has also received the Terrence Donovan Achievement Award from the Royal Photographic Society in 2005.
In 2014, Elaine releases “Northern Soul” a feature-length film about Black American Soul music of the sixties, which was featured on BBC’s “The Culture Show”.