History
After studying at LCC and St.Martin’s (both part of London’s University of the Arts), William Eckersley and Alexander Shields founded Stucco Press in 2006 to print Left London, a 176-page book on their home town’s abandoned and derelict sites. Garnering a positive critical reception – Sarah Kent stated in Time Out “never before has vanity publishing led to such a splendid publication” – it encouraged their working partnership and they finished another project, U.S.80: Exotic Country, in 2010. This book was a study of the people and landscapes of America’s deep south, documented through multiple crossings of the country’s first coast-to-coast highway. The Spectator commented that “this unusual collection of Americana is not to be missed”.
The latest publication from Stucco Press is Dark City (2011), a four-year collection of Eckersley’s images depicting a de-peopled urban environment at night. Creative Review suggested “there is in fact a whole other world to look at” in the book, while Monocle felt it “shows the empty humanity of England’s vast metropolis at its most vivid and alluring”.
As such, Stucco Press has become an imprint for the pair’s photographic endeavours, while also providing an online home for some of their other projects. They’re based in London and Washington DC; their work is held by collectors including Nike and Sir Elton John.
Exhibitions
London Stories – Shoreditch Town Hall, London, UK (2006)
Photo London – Old Billingsgate Market, London, UK (2007)
U.S.80: Exotic Country – Cole Contemporary, London, UK (2010)
Accademia Apulia – The Royal Horseguards, London, UK (2011)
Renaissance Prize – The Mall Galleries, London, UK (2011)
Just Because – 2A Bar, East Village, New York, USA (2011)
Transience – Galerie Huit Open Salon, Arles, France (2011)
Gammelgaard Monchrome – Gammelgaard, Herlev, Denmark (2011)
Dark City – Vegas Gallery, London, UK (2012)
Royal Photographic Society 155th Print Exhibition – Allen & Overy, London, UK (2012)
Press
Time Out – “City Of Ruins” (12/07/06)
Grafik – Left London review (Aug 2006)
The Big Issue – “Snapshot” & Left London review (11/09/06)
British Journal of Photography – “Dirty Old Town” (20/09/06)
Nude – Left London review (Autumn 2006)
Hotshoe – Left London review (Oct/Nov 2006)
Cornerstone – Left London review (Summer 2007)
Time Out – 1000 Things To Do In London book (2010)
telegraph.co.uk – “U.S.80: A Photographic Road Trip” (27/09/10)
spectator.co.uk – “On The Road” (13/10/10)
anothermag.com – U.S.80 feature (03/11/10)
colorsmagazine.com – U.S.80 feature (10/11/10)
positive-magazine.com – U.S.80 feature (12/11/10)
socialdocumentary.net – U.S.80 feature (20/11/10)
theatlantic.com – “America In One Photo” (29/11/10)
Sunday Times Magazine – Spectrum (03/04/11)
burnmagazine.org – U.S.80 feature (04/04/11)
Creative Quarterly – CQ24 Winners (Autumn 2011)
colorsmagazine.com – Dark City feature (14/11/11)
it’snicethat.com – Dark City review (24/11/11)
Aesthetica – “Spectral Images Of A Dark City” (Dec/Jan 2012)
juxtapoz.com – Dark City review (06/12/11)
guardian.co.uk – Month In Photography (Dec 2011)
positive-magazine.com – Dark City feature (16/12/11)
suckerpunchdaily.com – Dark City feature & interview (21/12/11)
nowness.com – “William Eckersley’s Silent Night” (27/12/11)
whosjack.org – “London At Night” (27/12/11)
Creative Review – “London: The Dark Side” (Jan 2012)
wonderlandmagazine.com – “William Eckersley’s Dark City” (09/01/12)
f22 – “Silent Nights” (Jan 2012)
Monocle – Dark City review (Feb 2012)
Time Out – “Night And The City” (26/01/12)
viewfinder.org.uk – Dark City video (06/03/12)