Throwing in the Towel

 

Christy Towel manufacturer was founded in 1850 in Droylsden. In the late 1980s the factory relocated to Hyde, in Greater Manchester, bringing a wave of employment to the town. My father started working in the factory in 1982 with my Grandfather who also working there for a couple of years. When my mother married my father and moved to England, from Italy, she started working in the factory in 1987 until she became pregnant in 1988.

 

In 2006 Christy became a subsidiary of Welspun India ltd and by 2010 had located from Hyde to Gujarat. With that my father was made redundant. With that I decided to go to the factory and once inside I found towels dirty and dishevelled from when it was once opened. I also was able to use towels that my father had purchased from the factory. Towels became the focal point for my images as they represent something clean and functional, yet losing this in this environment, just like the factory that was once active.