Nina Elisabeth
Portfolio
Important Places: The North East
Important Places is an ongoing series of portraits taken of people in places that they consider special to them. each person in this project has chosen a place that they describe as their most important or favourite place to be. Every photograph in this series is taken in the North East. I chose to base my project in the Sunderland area because it is my hometown and I want express the beauty not only myself, but others see in the simplest of places within the North East. The photographs are accompanied by quotes about why these locations are so special
"Sunderland doesn't really have many places to go so when you find somewhere you really like it kinda becomes a part of you and your life. This is one of those places for me. It's really chill here, there always playing Charlie Chaplin on the tv and the music sheets for wallpaper is cool. I just like being here. Theres nothing particularly important about it, its just special to me." - James Boak at Sams Bar, Sunderland.
"I found Pop Recs when I was 16, and it instantly became my favourite place. It was chill, artistic, musical, and acted as an escape for all the shit I was dealing with at the time. When I was in the worst places mentally that I've ever been, and struggling with family issues, Pop Recs almost became my home. I remember fondly working at gigs and getting to talk to people I would have never crossed paths with otherwise. It's eye opening and wonderful to have had that opportunity. I've made some of my most important friendships there, and as much as I'm no longer in touch with those I worked with, I'm eternally thankful for how Pop Recs, and it's people, have shaped me into a more confident and caring woman. I genuinely wouldn't still be here if not for the time and support of Dave and Michael, my co-workers. I can never thank them enough" - Olivia Johnson at Pop Recs, Sunderland.
"The summer house in my garden is an important place for me, as is the garden in general. It's where I go to smoke, to read, to think. My mother has always been proud of her garden and its the first place I think of when I think of home, especially since I moved abroad. My own little place of reflection." - Isaac Collinson at The Summer House, Sunderland.
"I love the beach because it is soothing, and refreshing, and helps when I need to clear my head. Most days I struggle to turn my thoughts off but going to the beach just fixes that. It's always changing - and yet still the same, which is something I can find comfort in when things change in my own life." - Sarah King at Seaburn Beach, Sunderland.
"The Winter Gardens Museum in Sunderland is a place I hold very dear to my heart. I have hundreds of fond memories visiting as a child with my grandparents, sparkling multiple curiosities in nature, art and culture which I have carried with me throughout my life." - Tom Large at The Winter Gardens, Sunderland.
"The amusements is where my partner and I spend time together frequently. Just to be together and enjoy each other. It's where we met and it's where we can go and it feel like our own place. We spent our first anniversary here, it was accidental but its all unparalleled." - Hollie Mullally at The Amusements, Sunderland.
"When I started working at Vesta Tilleys I was just a glass collector. I spent most of my nights running around, cleaning up and moving kegs about. I can remember a lot of my nights being spent in this cellar. I've worked hard for this job and I love being the manager of a pub with so much character and sense of community. I still spend a lot of my nights down in the cellar but its worth it now." - Keiron Rayne at Vesta Tillleys, Sunderland.
"The ski slope is a really important place to me. It's where my love for the sport developed. I like coming back here every now and then, not just to practice but for the nostalgia. It's crazy to think I started off as a little kid on these little slopes and now I get to travel the world skiing. It's such a freeing sport and I'm proud that I started off here." - Ollie Wilson at The Ski Slope, Sunderland.
"I love this pub. Good food, good drinks. It's right next to town and I come here a lot with my mates. I celebrated by last birthday here, a group of us came for a meal and for drinks after. It was really special in a simple way." - Lidya Balaban at The Ivy House, Sunderland.
"I really struggled to think of a place that was really important to me. I guess I picked this place because I spent most of my time here. Theres always somebody here I don't even have to check with my friends because I know no matter what time of day there is always someone here to talk to if I want to get out the house." - Holly Thompson at Vesta Tilleys, Sunderland.