A Series of Disappointments.

A Series of Disappointments. Photographs by Stephen Gill. Nobody, London, 2008. 78 pp., 36 black and white illustrations, 9x11¾". First edition, 3000 available with three different covers.

Publisher's Description:
"These betting slips were discarded in and around many betting shops (71 at the time of publication) in the borough of Hackney in north-east London. The average number of betting shops in other London boroughs is 23.

Each of these papers began as hope, were shaped by loss or defeat, then cast aside. These new forms perhaps now possess a state of mind, shaped by nervous tension and grief. After these images were made, little autopsies were performed on the papers to reveal the failed bets held within.

If betting shops move into places previously occupied by banks or solicitors, they are classed as financial services and don’t have to apply for any special permit. In such numbers, they are beginning to feel like a burden around a borough that is trying to improve itself and the lives of its residents, and to shake off its bad reputation."