Kevin Cummins : Arca

Whilst the music was the most important part of Joy Division’s oeuvre, Kevin Cummins’ photographs were integral to our visual perception of the band. Shot in monochrome, exactly as they would be used in the music press, the photographs acted as the visual counterpart to the music. Taken in rehearsal rooms in Little Peter Street, an old Manchester warehouse, or outdoors in Cathedral Yard, they mirror perfectly both the intensity and intimacy of Joy Division’s unique sound. They are beautiful haunting images of a hopeful young band. There is a striking poignancy to them when we look at them now, knowing how subsequent events unfolded, with the tragic suicide of singer Ian Curtis on the eve of the band’s first American tour.