exhibition

The Strange Face Project

I was a student, drinking cafe au lait in Paris, spring sunshine spilling over wooden floors, when I first heard Nick Drake's Cello Song. It was the most perfect soundtrack and I've never forgotten that moment. An exhibition at the Idea Generation Gallery shows TV composer Michael Burdett’s images of 167 similar moments. He found a version of Cello Song in a skip that he didn't listen to for twenty years. But when he did, he was astonished to find an unknown version of the track. He took it all over the UK and gave people headphones to listen to the piece, photographing them as they heard it. The Strange Face Project captures those moments: the light on the landscape, the emotion on their faces, the perfect tribute to a lost singer-songwriter. / Johanna Derry