Putting the mighty sound system in the frame, friend and photographer Brian David Stevens has an unmissable new exhibition of his work at The Social, beginning Wednesday July 9th and running until September 30th.

In the summer of 2004, Brian rose early to capture the towering speaker rigs and sound systems of the Notting Hill Carnival before the crowds arrived. The sound systems, these towering monuments to volume, stay in place for three days, are portrayed starkly and simply in his photos, a far cry from the colourful, loud and crowded images that normally depict the carnival.

Brian says he wanted to shift the emphasis to the source of the music that was drawing people there in the first place, and yet was drowned out in the visual noise. “Normally you never see these streets empty, they’re absolutely packed with people,” he says. “I got down there very early as they were setting up and shot the huge, monolithic speakers just in the middle of the street, where they look fantastically beautiful — I think every street corner should have one on them.”

Max and Josh of Tartaruga have put squeegee to screen and produced 12 beautiful A2 prints of his work, on 100% recycled paper, which are exclusive to Caught by the River and which will be adorning The Social this summer.

They’re on sale in our shop here, priced £40 per print.

See more of Brian’s work on his site here. His blog is also well worth a visit.