Paul Lowe was a British photojournalist, academic and educator whose work was grounded in a deep commitment to bearing witness and bringing people together. As a photojournalist, he covered multiple conflicts, such as the Somalia famine, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the four-year-long siege of Sarajevo. The photograph on display at this year’s Peckham24 was captured in Sarajevo seven years after the end of the siege, and shows a couple embracing during their wedding celebration at the Biban restaurant, located near the former frontline of the Bosnian War. The image is part of Paul’s series Bosnians, which was published as a book in 2005 and spans over a decade of his photographs documenting the Bosnian people and their nation throughout the war and the following years of reconstruction.

In his work, Paul captured how people come together beyond experiences of significant trauma and loss, bearing witness to their communal spirit and resilience. As an academic, Paul explored the ethics of photography and the importance of testimony. He co-organised the annual Why Remember? Conference in Sarajevo, creating a space for discourse around collective and cultural memory, trauma and witnessing. As a Professor of Conflict, Peace and the Image at London College of Communication, Paul influenced many students and staff with his brilliant mind and great expertise, making him an invaluable teacher and colleague. As his friend and LCC colleague Max Houghton wrote in a tribute to Paul for the British Journal of Photography in October 2024:

‘Everyone who ever worked with Paul will understand that to do so was to become his friend. Paul took us all with him, creating constellations of people all over the world, who now share community and creativity[…]’

 We are celebrating Paul’s legacy as a photographer and thinker, as a mentor and friend, who helped us understand the importance of coming together to tell the stories we so urgently need to tell.