Mayor’s Chains

David Partner on his exhibition, Mayor’s Chains

Its Time for a Change

The Mayor’s Chains – Who Leads Communities Now? is a collection of photography from David Partner, that illustrates how political elitism can be broken down and replaced with social enterprise and local action. It is an insightful commentary on localism and grassroots politics, which in the context of Plymouth, the UK’s first Social Enterprise City, has a particular resonance.

The exhibition originated in Frome, Somerset, where local social entrepreneurs took matters into their own hands and stood as Independents in local elections and took over the town council’s leadership.

Part of the Frome strategy to dismantle traditional barriers between politicians and the people, was to change the meaning of the Mayor’s Gold Chains—a traditional symbol of power and status—to something hand-made that related to the town’s communities and businesses. When Mayor Peter Macfadyen went to meet a school environmental group, it made sense for them to make him a new chain from bicycle parts, bottle tops, and biro lids and for him to open their Summer Fete in it. From here the idea grew – keeping a careful eye on when the original Civic Regalia should be worn – Peter’s collection of chains made by charities, local business and artists slowly expanded.  

Renowned photographer Partner documented the Frome experiment, he said: “The Mayoral Chain photo series does a lot to break down the barriers between politics and the people, engaging the same humour, social enterprise and collaboration that Peter Macfadyen deployed during his year as Frome’s Mayor, it’s an insightful commentary on localism and grass roots politics.

Photography can be a very powerful tool in communicating the message that Independent politics sends to all of us, these portraits are of one, inspirational, man, and this message of “it’s time for a change” is powerful, this is how I try to use my photography..

To sustain a career in the creative arts is about constant reinvention, all the help you can get from family, friends, colleagues and contacts, and sheer good luck. I have had some of all these to have worked as a photographer for my whole career. “