ORIGINS

In Origins, Ronnie Ackling explores memory, identity and the changing landscape of Birmingham through a decade of photography. 

The photobook is out now, you can get a copy HERE.

“Origins is a personal exploration of my evolving relationship with the city I once called home. Having lived in Birmingham for more than three decades before moving away twelve years ago, I have found myself repeatedly drawn back to its streets, searching for traces of the place I remember while witnessing the city’s continual transformation.

Part document, part memoir, this body of work examines not only the changing physical landscape of Birmingham but also the shifting nature of memory, belonging and identity. The photographs capture moments where past and present briefly converge: familiar corners altered by time, forgotten details rediscovered, and fleeting glimpses of a city that is both deeply known and strangely unfamiliar.

Created over a ten-year period, Origins reflects my own journey as a photographer as much as it records the evolution of Birmingham itself. The images encompass a variety of approaches, techniques and perspectives, charting the development of my photographic voice alongside the changing character of the city. Together, they form a visual conversation between place and memory, exploring how both continue to shape one another long after we leave home behind.”