Setanta Books has released a powerful new photography collection by renowned street photographer Bruce Gilden, titled "The Empire on Which the Sun Never Sets." The book presents an uncompromising and raw portrait of England through the lens of one of the most daring practitioners of street photography today.
Gilden's camera captures the tension, humor, and unease of everyday life with his characteristic intensity, taking readers from Liverpool football stands to the troubled corners of King's Cross. His journey extends through surreal nights in Newcastle and rough encounters in Welsh mining towns, revealing an England far removed from postcard imagery.
Originally inspired by Tony Ray Jones' "A Day Off," Gilden set out to explore England not for its scenic beauty, but for its roughness, danger, and people living on society's margins. His approach deliberately avoided romantic portrayals, instead focusing on places where photography wasn't always safe and where street sense mattered as much as camera equipment.
The photographer's personal accounts are as vivid as his images, recounting being ejected from Anfield by police on his birthday, dodging pickpockets, and confronting drug-fueled confrontations. He describes stumbling upon a fallen boxing champion and witnessing chaos in working men's clubs, creating narratives that accompany his striking visual documentation.
Gilden's lens transforms voyeurism into direct confrontation, revealing the surreal theater of public life through moments that are simultaneously violent and tender, absurd and unsettling. His objective captures both the danger and humanity present in every frame, creating a unique visual dialogue between photographer and subject.
The resulting publication exists somewhere between documentary and personal diary, offering readers a harsh yet unforgettable journey through England's shadow zones. Each image presents a collision between danger and humanity, creating a comprehensive portrait of contemporary English life rarely seen in mainstream photography.
"Bruce Gilden: The Empire on Which the Sun Never Sets" is published as a hardcover with gold dust jacket, measuring 300 x 230 mm across 108 pages containing 54 images. The limited edition is restricted to 750 copies, with a special edition offering 20 numbered and stamped prints signed by Bruce Gilden on the reverse. These prints are produced on Hahnemühle Pearl paper in 28 x 19 cm (11 x 7 inch) format with a 1.5 cm (0.6 inch) white border, available through setantabooks.com.
