Chris Adamson reports on a collection of amazing images…
Feats of personal endeavour, endurance and achievement are brought into high-definition focus in a new exhibition at the National Motor Museum that showcases the hyper-detailed photography of Rick Guest.
Known for his precision photographs of objects in close-up, Rick’s images allow the viewer to see aspects of an object not normally visible to the human eye – this includes the patina created by time which creates a powerful sense of history and a direct connection with those who once owned the objects.
Having previously worked on large-scale projects for famous brand names such as Hugo Boss, Ferrari and Nike, Rick was commissioned by the museum’s Senior Curator for Objects and Exhibitions Gail Stewart-Bye to create oversized photographs of items from their extensive archive to create the new exhibition which is titled ‘Closer To The Edge’.
“We wanted to see some of the objects from the collection in a different way and to represent the achievements of pioneers on two and four wheels from the worlds of motorsport and land speed record breaking,” explained Gail at the official opening.
Among the items given the close-up treatment are: The Helbros gold-plated watch presented to Major Henry Segrave after becoming the first man to reach over 200 miles an hour on Daytona Beach in 1927; motorcycle and grand prix racer Mike Hailwood’s 1960s cork-lined motorcycle crash helmet, and the goggles worn by Percy Lambert, the first person to drive a car 100 miles in an hour.
Also in the spotlight are a piece of the tail fin from one of the record-breaking Blue Bird cars of Malcolm Campbell featuring the union flag and the glove worn by Peter Collins when he finished second for Ferrari in the 1956 Mille Miglia.
These are supplemented by objects from private collections that include seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton’s 2020 Formula One steering wheel, the fighter pilot style helmet worn by Andy Green when he set the current supersonic World Land Speed Record of 763.035mph in 1997, and the Alfa Romeo badge from the car in which Tazio Nuvolari won the 1935 German Grand Prix.
Closer To The Edge – Precision Photography by Rick Guest will be on display in the museum until mid-September and is included in the general admission price to Beaulieu.