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The Killing Ditch
There Is Nothing Of Value Left (Photographs 2013-2020)
Damien Wootten's Coastal Retreat (Photographs 2006-2013)
The Radical Road
Ostdeutsche Radikale Straßen
Field Baths
Bastard Seating
Close The Door On Past Dreariness
South Shields Billboards/The Visitors
Northern Rufuge
Beyond The Angel
Waterside
Wandering A Parallel Path
The Woods Near Me
Pilgrims: In The Time Of Brexit (Pilgrim Street 2016-2023)
Pilgrims: In The Time of Coronavirus (Pilgrim Street 2020)
On The Verge
Corona Memento Mori
Frankie's Field
Into The Open
Sheep May Safely Graze
Sandbags
Damien Wootten
Exhibitions
Contact
Shop
Damien Wootten
Home
About
Work
The Killing Ditch
There Is Nothing Of Value Left (Photographs 2013-2020)
Damien Wootten's Coastal Retreat (Photographs 2006-2013)
The Radical Road
Ostdeutsche Radikale Straßen
Field Baths
Bastard Seating
Close The Door On Past Dreariness
South Shields Billboards/The Visitors
Northern Rufuge
Beyond The Angel
Waterside
Wandering A Parallel Path
The Woods Near Me
Pilgrims: In The Time Of Brexit (Pilgrim Street 2016-2023)
Pilgrims: In The Time of Coronavirus (Pilgrim Street 2020)
On The Verge
Corona Memento Mori
Frankie's Field
Into The Open
Sheep May Safely Graze
Sandbags
Exhibitions
Contact
Shop


Looking Backwards and Forwards

Damien Wootten has documented streets in England, Scotland and Wales named after historical radical and socialist figures. Accompanying this work are photographs of socialist literature, taken from his own collection, which have been annotated by previous owners. 

The work explores notions of radicalism and socialist utopianism. In exploring these themes, Wootten raises valuable questions about the roles such figures had in shaping the streets and communities of Britain, the relevance such names and ideas hold today and what role they will play in the future. The annotations cause these otherwise impersonal documents to gain a deeper meaning - reflecting how radical ideas resonated with the reader. 

The Radical Road encourages us to look beyond simply the utilitarian purpose of street names, and to instead interpret them as one of the clearest reminders of Britain’s socialist past, perhaps a warning against historical ‘amnesia’. The annotated books are emblematic of how radical ideas permeated British society. 

In the 2017 general election, Jeremy Corbyn, standing on a radical programme, increased Labour's share of the vote more than any other party leader since Clement Attlee in 1945. In the 'Get Brexit Done' election of 2019, this was shattered, with many in Labour's heartlands deserting the party for the first time - as the Labour 'Red Wall' turned blue. 

Together, the streets and literature serve as an enduring symbol of Britain’s radical and socialist history. But they also question what role there now is for the ideals of the Left, in it's modern-day pursuit of social justice, egalitarianism and environmentalism - and what relevance that holds for it's once traditionally loyal white working class communities. And us all. 

As Britain moves into a new era of post-Brexit change and long-term Covid-19 uncertainty, the work urges us to first look back before looking forward. 

The past is not dead, but is living in us, and will be alive in the future which we are now helping to make. - William Morris (b.1834) 

The past is never dead. It's not even past. - William Faulkner (b.1897) 

The future is already here - it's just not very evenly distributed. - William Gibson (b.1948) 

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The Decay of Capitalist Civilisation by Sidney and Beatrice Webb  Published by the Fabian Society and George Allen and Unwin, London  First Published 1923, Second Edition 1923, Dutch library book
The Decay of Capitalist Civilisation by Sidney and Beatrice Webb Published by the Fabian Society and George Allen and Unwin, London First Published 1923, Second Edition 1923, Dutch library book
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J. Keir Hardie: A Biography by William Stewart  Published by Cassell & Company, London  First Edition 1921
J. Keir Hardie: A Biography by William Stewart Published by Cassell & Company, London First Edition 1921
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Chartist Portraits by G. D. H. Cole  Published by Macmillan & Co, London  First Edition 1941
Chartist Portraits by G. D. H. Cole Published by Macmillan & Co, London First Edition 1941
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The Pillars of Security by William Beveridge  Published by George Allan & Unwin, London First Edition, 1943
The Pillars of Security by William Beveridge Published by George Allan & Unwin, London First Edition, 1943
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My England by George Lansbury  Published by Selwyn & Blount, London First Edition 1934
My England by George Lansbury Published by Selwyn & Blount, London First Edition 1934
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A History of Socialism by Thomas Kirkup  Published by Adam and Charles Black, London and Edinburgh First Edition 1892
A History of Socialism by Thomas Kirkup Published by Adam and Charles Black, London and Edinburgh First Edition 1892
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The Condition of the Working Class in England in 1844 by Frederick Engels  Published by George Allen & Unwin, London First Published in English 1887, This Edition 1936
The Condition of the Working Class in England in 1844 by Frederick Engels Published by George Allen & Unwin, London First Published in English 1887, This Edition 1936
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Lenin on Britain by V. I. Lenin  Published by Lawrence & Wishart, London  First Published 1934, This Edition published in the Marxist-Leninist Library 1941
Lenin on Britain by V. I. Lenin Published by Lawrence & Wishart, London First Published 1934, This Edition published in the Marxist-Leninist Library 1941
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The Life and Teaching of Karl Marx by M. Beer  Published by George Allen & Unwin, London  First published 1925, This Edition1934
The Life and Teaching of Karl Marx by M. Beer Published by George Allen & Unwin, London First published 1925, This Edition1934
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The Decay of Capitalist Civilisation by Sidney and Beatrice Webb  Published by the Fabian Society and George Allen and Unwin, London  First Published 1923, Second Edition 1923
The Decay of Capitalist Civilisation by Sidney and Beatrice Webb Published by the Fabian Society and George Allen and Unwin, London First Published 1923, Second Edition 1923
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News from Nowhere (or An Epoch of Rest) Being Some Chapters From A Utopian Romance by William Morris  Published by Longmans, Green and Co., London  First Published 1890, This Edition 1910
News from Nowhere (or An Epoch of Rest) Being Some Chapters From A Utopian Romance by William Morris Published by Longmans, Green and Co., London First Published 1890, This Edition 1910
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The Teachings of Karl Marx by V. I. Lenin  First published in the Little Lenin Library, 1931  Published by Lawrence & Wishart, London  This Edition 1942
The Teachings of Karl Marx by V. I. Lenin First published in the Little Lenin Library, 1931 Published by Lawrence & Wishart, London This Edition 1942
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Unto This Last: Four Essays on the Principles of Political Economy by John Ruskin  Published by George Allen, Sunnyside, Orpington, London  First Published 1860, This Edition 1896
Unto This Last: Four Essays on the Principles of Political Economy by John Ruskin Published by George Allen, Sunnyside, Orpington, London First Published 1860, This Edition 1896
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Socialism - Utopian and Scientific by Frederick Engels  Published by George Allen & Unwin, London  First Published in English 1892, This Edition 1932
Socialism - Utopian and Scientific by Frederick Engels Published by George Allen & Unwin, London First Published in English 1892, This Edition 1932
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The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State by Frederick Engels  Published by Progress Publishers, Moscow   First published in 1884, This Edition 1948
The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State by Frederick Engels Published by Progress Publishers, Moscow First published in 1884, This Edition 1948
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Religion and the Rise of Capitalism by R H Tawney  Published by John Murray, London  First published 1926, This Edition 1927
Religion and the Rise of Capitalism by R H Tawney Published by John Murray, London First published 1926, This Edition 1927
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Lenin Terrace, Stanley, County Durham, England, January 2015
Lenin Terrace, Stanley, County Durham, England, January 2015

Vladimir Lenin - ï»¿Russian Marxist, communist revolutionary and political theorist.  Lenin played a leading role in the Russian October Revolution of 1917. He served as Chairman of the Council of People’s Commissars of the Soviet Union, 1922 to 1924.

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The Radical Road


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The Killing Ditch
The Killing Ditch
There Is Nothing Of Value Left (Photographs 2013-2020)
There Is Nothing Of Value Left (Photographs 2013-2020)
Damien Wootten's Coastal Retreat (Photographs 2006-2013)
Damien Wootten's Coastal Retreat (Photographs 2006-2013)
Ostdeutsche Radikale Straßen
Ostdeutsche Radikale Straßen
Field Baths
Field Baths
Bastard Seating
Bastard Seating
Close The Door On Past Dreariness
South Shields Billboards/The Visitors
South Shields Billboards/The Visitors
Northern Rufuge
Northern Rufuge
Beyond The Angel
Beyond The Angel
Waterside
Waterside
Wandering A Parallel Path
Wandering A Parallel Path
The Woods Near Me
The Woods Near Me
Pilgrims: In The Time Of Brexit (Pilgrim Street 2016-2023)
Pilgrims: In The Time Of Brexit (Pilgrim Street 2016-2023)
Pilgrims: In The Time of Coronavirus (Pilgrim Street 2020)
Pilgrims: In The Time of Coronavirus (Pilgrim Street 2020)
On The Verge
On The Verge
Corona Memento Mori
Corona Memento Mori
Frankie's Field
Frankie's Field
Into The Open
Into The Open
Sheep May Safely Graze
Sheep May Safely Graze
Sandbags
Sandbags
Damien Wootten
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