Born in the east end of London, England, Antony Cairns has been taking photographs since the age of 15. A constant theme in his images has been the city of his birth. He has chosen his subject and is on a path to document his city, the place he calls home, a metropolis that is certainly the centre of his universe. A traditionally trained photographer who learnt his trade at the London College of Printing towards the end of the 1990s, his photographic practice has remained rooted in chemical-based techniques. Shooting almost exclusively on black & white film, he prints all his own work, often experimenting with forgotten or discarded methods, and frequently becoming engrossed with the process, its imperfections and oddities. Since he became involved with the Archive of Modern Conflict in 2007 his work has also been influenced by some of the rare and unusual photographic treasures held within the Archive’s collection.