Men in 1989 Photograph React to Tate Britain Exhibition Display

Three men featured in a photograph taken 35 years ago described its inclusion in a major London exhibition as “surreal.” Mark De-Lisser, Edmund Rudder, and Marcellous Copeland were photographed by the acclaimed photographer Ingrid Pollard at Tulse Hill School during 1989. An English teacher at the south London school had invited Pollard to capture portraits of her students in the year preceding the school’s closure. The photograph depicting the boys, now in their 50s, is being exhibited at Tate Britain starting Thursday, as an element of The 80s: Photographing Britain exhibition. This exhibition reviews the period when Margaret Thatcher held power and explores how photographers reacted to evolving social and economic circumstances. Mr Copeland stated, “I’m very proud to see the pictures here and also what it represents.” He continued, “It represents what Tulse Hill School was about – a lot of differences but everyone pulling together.” “It was a fantastic time, a difficult, but fantastic time,” he added. This marks the inaugural exhibition in the UK of Pollard’s photographs featuring pupils from the boys’ school. Pollard had previously indicated her efforts to locate individuals who appeared in the series of photographs she captured at Tulse Hill School. Mr De-Lisser, Mr Rudder, and Mr Copeland learned of their inclusion in the exhibition through a BBC London news report. Mr De-Lisser recounted, “Somebody sent me a message and said ‘is this you?’” Mr Rudder further stated, “I started getting messages from all different people as well.” He noted, “Some have contacted us that we haven’t spoken to in years.” Mr Copeland commented, “We still have friendships with some of the people that were in those pictures.” Reflecting on their time at Tulse Hill, Mr Copeland characterized their education as “absolute maniacal chaos.” He elaborated, “It was pretty tough. But within that, we had really really good teachers that stayed with us, and were really committed.” Mr Rudder mentioned that the school had previously been referred to as a “school of hard knocks.” He remarked, “I don’t want to say we had to fight to survive – but there are some people that did.” “We had some fun times and we were privileged enough to do that,” he continued. “I can’t say that for everybody, but definitely for us,” he concluded. Upon viewing the images in the gallery now, he conveyed that it felt “really surreal.” Pollard reconnected with Mr De-Lisser, Mr Rudder, and Mr Copeland on Tuesday, prior to the exhibition’s opening. She expressed that it was wonderful to meet the men from the photographs, 35 years later. She characterized them in the photograph as being “in a very delicate stage of being boys and men at the same time.” She observed, “You can see their faces are the same.” She added, “They seem much taller than I remember.” “I don’t know if we passed in the street, if I would have recognised them,” she admitted. “But here, in the group of three, they seem really happy,” she concluded. The exhibition, The 80s: Photographing Britain, will be on display at Tate Britain from 21 November until 5 May 2025.