News · Publishing & licensing
16th May 2026 · Updated 13th November 2026
Nick Wynne in
Thames & Hudson’s Elements
British Culture Archive licensed Nick Wynne’s photograph Firestarter, Birkenhead, 1989 for Elements, Stephen Ellcock’s book published by Thames & Hudson.
Firestarter, Birkenhead, 1989.
Photograph © Nick Wynne / British Culture Archive. All rights reserved.
Elements
Stephen Ellcock, Elements. Thames & Hudson, 2024.
Book-cover image: Thames & Hudson.
Elements by Stephen Ellcock
Elements: Chaos, order and the five elemental forces explores earth, water, air, fire and aether through images drawn from art, photography, science and history. Ellcock brings together imagery from different cultures and periods, examining the meanings attached to the five elements and the ways people have pictured them.
Published on 17th October 2024, the 256-page book contains 264 illustrations. Wynne’s photograph brings a scene from late 1980s Merseyside into Ellcock’s wider selection.
Firestarter, Birkenhead, 1989
Wynne’s photograph shows a young person leaping over a bonfire, with houses and other figures behind. It forms part of his early work in Birkenhead, made while he was studying photography at Wallasey.
Wynne photographed the town in 1988 and 1989, approaching residents in the streets and asking to make photographs from their balconies. His Birkenhead series sits alongside his work from Liverpool, Merseyside and Traveller communities in North Wales.
British Culture Archive arranged the licence for inclusion in Elements. Publishers and picture editors can contact BCA about licensing selected photographs by Nick Wynne for books, editorial projects and exhibitions.