You possibly can’t argue with 118 Brummies of their swimsuits: Attilio Fiumarella’s finest {photograph} | Photography

I took this picture in Birmingham on 20 July 2014 – a part of my first skilled pictures undertaking. I had moved to town in 2013 and I might cross this constructing every single day on the bus on my solution to town centre. I bear in mind wanting on the facades and being impressed and intrigued by the three totally different entrances – what had been as soon as the primary class, second class and girls’s entrances.

One day I made a decision to get off the bus and discover out what the constructing was. The door was open, and a pleasant girl welcomed me in and began to clarify its historical past. It is the Moseley Road Baths, an Edwardian-era neighborhood constructing. In 2014 the second pool was nonetheless working however the gala pool, the place I took this picture, was already empty. The constructing was in want of restoration and, with out funding, the council deliberate to close it down for good. The girl I met there advised me a lot of tales in regards to the place – individuals who had come to study to swim, the way it had served as a casualty station in the course of the second world battle, and the way it had even been used as a dance corridor. It was a really charming place with an unbelievable historical past: as quickly as I noticed the gala pool, I knew I needed to fill the majestic empty area.

A couple of months later, I managed to get a local people bursary by Some Cities, run by Andrew Jackson and Dan Burwood, to make a portrait undertaking in regards to the pool neighborhood, and the connection between them and the constructing. It was collaborative, we created the story collectively. And in July 2014, I organised this shot – the final image of the undertaking. The Friends of Moseley Road Baths helped recruit swimmers, and I additionally handed out flyers within the neighbourhood to encourage individuals to participate. What’s unbelievable in regards to the picture is that it displays how numerous the neighborhood there may be, and what number of totally different generations swim there.

It nonetheless makes me smile that I made a decision to make use of a big format digital camera for the primary time on a undertaking like this. Looking again, it appears barely loopy. It was an intense expertise. We had 118 individuals within the pool, and all the things relied on getting a single sheet of movie proper. There was loads that would have gone fallacious. Fortunately, many individuals helped make it potential. Ian Edwards from St Paul’s Community Trust coordinated everybody with a megaphone, whereas he and a crew of volunteers helped individuals down into the empty pool utilizing a short lived staircase that they had constructed.

Then I had an issue with the sunshine. I knew that at 11am, it got here in from the fitting to the left by the home windows, giving me precisely the angle I needed, however on the day it was overcast. After ready for about an hour, individuals had been beginning to get nervous, however within the final 5 minutes, the solar lastly appeared and I bought the shot.

In my work, I all the time reference structure – that’s my background. In this picture I used to be pondering of the Terracotta Army. What amazed me in regards to the {photograph} was the way it grew to become an expression of solidarity and togetherness. In 2020 it gained the Portrait of Humanity prize, and now it’s getting new consideration – I feel as a result of it displays one thing in regards to the time we’re dwelling in. We have to get collectively, to point out up and to take again energy. I see this {photograph} as an act of resistance – these swimmers had by no means met me however they confirmed as much as defend a spot they cared deeply about.

Recently, Moseley Road Baths secured the final funding wanted to finish its restoration, together with a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The constructing is quickly closed whereas the restoration works are accomplished, however it would quickly reopen with renewed function and new public areas. My contribution was solely a really small a part of that story, however I wish to assume it helped ultimately. Looking again, I feel it was a really beneficiant factor for all these individuals to do. They stood collectively of their swimsuits, following the instructions of a loopy Italian man. To me, this {photograph} merely says: “We are here, together, standing up for something we believe in.”

Attilio Fiumarella is likely one of the chosen photographers within the Royal Photographic Society’s 167th annual worldwide exhibition on the Saatchi Gallery, London, from 7 August to 11 September

Attilio Fiumarella’s CV

Born: Naples, 1978
High level: Seeing long-term tasks discover their viewers over time, from successful Portrait of Humanity 2020 to being commissioned by establishments whose work and values I respect
Top tip: Be persistent, and care deeply in regards to the individuals you {photograph}. As photographers, we now have a duty to assist their tales attain a wider viewers