LONDON – German photographer Michael Hess stumbled upon his fascination for bingo halls in 2005, when he visited a cinema turned bingo hall in 2005 out of curiosity. Five years later, after visiting more than 60 British bingo halls, the photographer has an exhibition called “Bingo and Social Club” on display at the Outside World Gallery in London.
With bingo now played by many more people than it previously was thanks to the invention of online bingo and popular sites such as Foxy Bingo, Crown Bingo and Jackpot Joy giving people access to bingo games much more readily and from the comfort of their own home, many keen players will be unaware of the interiors of bingo halls and their quirks and nostalgic detail.
Inside the halls he visited, Hess found some interesting old characters, tables covered in lucky charms, slot machines everywhere and a longing for the old days of bingo in the sixties when it took of in the U.K.
Hess’ striking black and white portraits of bingo players will be complimented with recordings of conversations in the halls over the past five years and some trinkets that he managed to find in his five year journey around the bingo halls of Britain.
source: The Independent