In an era dominated by automation and digital technology, a collection of workshops along the Old Kent Road in south London continues to produce handcrafted goods through traditional methods. A new photographic series by London-based photographer Orlando Gili captures these makers and their crafts, offering a portrait of the neighbourhood's enduring industrial character.
The series focuses on artisans whose work demands precision and physical skill. Among them is Benjamin Bryde, an aluminium tray polisher at Kaymet, a manufacturer that has operated since 1947. Bryde works in conditions that reflect the unglamorous reality of handmade production: a small polishing room filled with aluminium dust, machinery decades old, and an atmosphere thick with particulate matter.
Bryde describes his role with straightforward clarity. His work centres on refining aluminium surrounds for trays, achieving what he characterises as a flawless finish through meticulous attention to smoothness, cleanliness, and structural integrity. The process is repetitive yet demands sustained concentration and technical expertise.
The trays produced at Kaymet occupy a peculiar position in the consumer landscape. They are stocked by retailers such as Harrods and have been used aboard the Royal Yacht and in kitchens of Michelin-starred establishments including The Ledbury. The industrial environment in which these products originate contrasts sharply with the refined settings where they ultimately appear.
Gili's documentation extends beyond Kaymet to include other specialised workshops in the area. London Stone Carving operates as one of the final commercial sculpture workshops remaining in the city. Diespeker & Co maintains expertise in heritage marble work. These establishments represent a form of manufacturing that persists despite economic pressures favouring mass production and offshoring.
The photographer explains his motivation for the project as a response to contemporary trends. In a landscape increasingly characterised by screens and automated processes, the series directs attention toward trades that remain grounded in material reality. The work aims to illuminate the continuing relevance of manual labour and the expertise required to sustain these practices.
Gili captured Bryde during a brief interval before work resumed following a tea break. The resulting image presents the polisher surrounded by the dust that desaturates surfaces throughout the room, creating a visual record of the conditions under which precision work occurs.
The Old Kent Road, historically recognised as the first and least valuable property on the Monopoly board, maintains an industrial identity through these surviving workshops. The photographic series serves as documentation that London continues to function as a site of production, not merely consumption, and that the individuals engaged in this work possess skills worthy of recognition.
By revealing the processes behind finished products, the series invites viewers to consider the human labour and technical knowledge embedded in objects often taken for granted. The work challenges assumptions about what constitutes valuable economic activity in a modern city and argues for the preservation of craft traditions that connect contemporary London to its manufacturing past.