Throughout the summer of 2023, I conducted an in-depth investigation into the local Bowls Club, the Prince Arthur Bowls Club based in my home county of Kent. The Bowls Club is a central community hub for the older generation to meet, socialise and play bowls.
Dave a member of the club, was someone who captivated the room with his personality, someone who initially never gave too much away, but, once he decided he’d speak to you he was an open book, sharing his life skills through personal stories. His grandson was heading to university that year and was a money-saving supermarket kind of guy. A great believer in the finer things in life, and proudly gave me a rounded lesson on his wine preferences and subscription. He had an avid interest in photography himself and talked about how his mother had an old Super 8 camera, but nowadays he was more so in awe about how advanced camera phone technology has progressed in comparison to cameras in general. Amongst the quizzes Dave gave me about cameras, I found that the most compelling aspect of Dave was not his wine subscription nor Martin Lewis’s grandson but the generosity, passion and more interestingly the idolisation he had in seeing the younger generation succeed. Adamant on giving me some of his old cameras, I took them in return for a chocolate bar
The reason I emphasise this small converse exchange is the fact that this experience at the Bowls Club showed me the fruits of community. I had one 30-minute conversation with Dave, I never met him at the bowls club afterwards. However, he was a pillar in this project that highlighted the importance of having a solid collective of people to be able to feel whole. Without it, none of my photographic experiences, tools and photos would have come to be. This photographic project explores the community of the Prince Arthur Bowls Club, it reflects on the importance of human connection and the skills, techniques and passion needed in the games of bowls. It shows how integral community spaces like this Bowls Club are to our sanity, and that we must ensure that they can stay open.
