A FLASH mob Worcester style is due to hit the city’s Cathedral Square at mid-day on Saturday, August 24.

But instead of people creating mayhem, it will take the form of a host of images by photo historian Michael Hallett showing life in Worcester in the 21st century.

Printed on sustainable cotton tote bags, the digitally printed photographs are about people and places, fashion and style.

They record the family fun of Worcester’s shopping experience, eating emporiums and organised summer activities. 

Mike said: “This is street theatre showing the theatre of the street. They were all taken on a new iPhone 8 camera though the majority of cameras in mobile devices could provide similar quality.

"The images explore the critical questions surrounding identity, lifestyle, excesses, and the cult of the individual.

"Collectively, they convey a strong narrative showing people predominantly in an urban, social landscape.

“With more than five billion people taking images on their mobile phone or tablet, I wanted to produce images for people in the street. I aimed to avoid the perceived elitism of pictures on the gallery wall.

"The philosophy of doing this is relatively simple, though making it happen was something else.

“Walking around with pictures in a convenient situation sounds easy but how do you turn that into a reality? Wearing pictures as clothing was a possibility as long as the images looked acceptable.

My initial thought of pictures on a tee or polo shirts gave way for pictures on tote bags as these would allow for an extended choreography of presentation. And then it fell in place when I realised this was ‘street theatre’ of photographs that were of ‘theatre of the street.’” 

Mike said he chose Cathedral Square for the exhibition-cum-performance because it formed a natural urban amphitheatre where choreography of the performers interacting with the audience would make it really work.

The Photo Flash Mob will be in Cathedral Square, Worcester between 11.55am and 12.55pm on Saturday, August 24.