MAKING A DIFFERENCE
INSPIRING the NEXT GENERATION
There are many outstanding black British chefs in the UK, yet their talents are often hidden from view. Photographer Julian George set about changing that with a campaign focused on bringing that talent to the fore. He aimed to make people look, but he never imagined his pictures would end up in lights in the West End
WORDS LAURA ROWE
Julian George
“My approach has always been to think about what I can positively do to bring about change”
Many words - not all of them printable on these pages - could be used to sum up 2020, but ‘pivot’ was on the lips of many whose careers and livelihoods were halted as the world came to terms with Covid. It’s a concept Julian George is familiar with, having added many strings to his bow since he studied law. Video editing, filming and directing, then later food photography. It was as the UK entered its national lockdown and Julian’s work started dropping off that he embarked on his most important project to date: Made You Look.
“I needed to diversify,” explains Julian, who grew up in Deptford with his mother, who’s originally from Sierra Leone. “Lockdown gave me the time to explore ideas, and obviously the Black Lives Matter movement happened. There were the protests, but because of Covid I didn’t go… I was gutted about that. I wanted to help the situation and, rather than just voicing my concerns, my approach has always been to think about what I can positively do to bring about the change that’s so needed for us to move forward.”