Luis Bustamante | Kingston upon Hull, 1970s.

Photographer Luis Bustamante came to the UK as a political refugee from Chile in late 1974. He studied at Hull University and worked in photography education in London and Bristol. He has carried out documentary work throughout Britain and his native South America. His work includes two books (and two more in preparation) on British life for Café Royal Books, the 2003 anti-war demonstrations in Britain and extensive documenting of Yorkshire in the late 1970s.

Luis has strong recall of arriving in Hull: “When you land in a new place you can’t read the codes. Connections with the social environment are challenging to say the least. At Hull University there was a setting that provided a soft landing. Slowly, we started to find our own space again and then, it is as if the place handed back the responsibility for what you intend to do. This is hard work and you get it wrong lots of the time.”

The images captured by Luis provide a unique opportunity to look at life in Hull in a long gone past.