PLEASE NOTE: ART IN ACTION IS STILL FUNCTIONING DURING THE 2025 YEAR.

THIS FLICKR SITE IS A PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDY OF A DOCKLAND COMMUNITY IN BOOTLE, ENGLAND. PRINCIPALLY SHOWING THE SOCIAL CONDITIONS, BUILDINGS, INDUSTRIES, ENVIRONMENT AND LOCAL PEOPLE. COVERING A NUMBER OF DECADES. ALSO SHOWING PHOTOGRAPHS FROM A VARIETY OF SOURCES AND PARTICULARLY THE PHOTOGRAPHIC WORK OF WILLIAM DOLCE.

Mr.WILLIAM DOLCE is a 'BOOTLE COMMUNITY PHOTOGRAPHER' whose work recorded the changing scenes and the 'life of the town of Bootle', Merseyside, England. United Kingdom. Europe. He was one of the co-founders of ARTS AND ACTION and a volunteer and activist of the original Bootle grass roots community group that was set up in 1978. ARTS AND ACTION was originally set up by members of the Church Street Estate and was based in a Sefton Council maisonette located in 84 Church Street, Bootle, which was occupied by Margaret Pinnington a local mother and her family.

The Group later moved to 290 / 292 Knowsley Road, Bootle. In 1982 as it developed further the group changed its name to ART IN ACTION Ltd, and moved to its present community centre in the building based at 482 Stanley Road, Bootle. Merseyside. England. United Kingdom. Europe.

William Dolce continues to be a volunteer and activist to the present day. His voluntary community activities in Bootle began in 1975 / 76 within the Brunswick Boys Club, located on Marsh Lane, Bootle. In 1977 he was appointed the Community Artist with the Church Street Community Association based on the Church Street residential estate, Bootle.

Later he was a volunteer and activist with the Merseyside Trade Union, Community and Unemployed Centre based in Hardman Street, Liverpool. Over the past 47 years he has worked with many community oganisations and groups on Merseyside. He was a tutor specifically providing media training such as photography, video production, and computer skills.

He believes that his black and white also colour photographs, and the accumulated ART IN ACTION photographs over the past years provides a unique and valuable archive of the Bootle community, its people, its environment, struggles, activities and life experiences.

Through the practice of 'recording of everything' and their subsequent digitisation, everyone around the world is now able to access these images of the Bootle community via the Internet. William Dolce still believes it is important for a Community and its People to record and document their lives, experiences and environment. The photographs are powerful because they are true, they give individuals and the People a voice.

This 'WILLIAM DOLCE FLICKR' site is principally a collection of photographs taken by William Dolce whilst as a volunteer and activist with ARTS AND ACTION / ART IN ACTION. Also included in the Flickr site are photographs taken by other members of the ART IN ACTION community group.

Once local residents, both adults and children, were trained in photographic camera and printing techniques the majority of people concentrated on taking photographs of their own lives, family, friends, their participation in different activities, and especially their local environment where they lived.

This 'WILLIAM DOLCE FLICKR' site serves a number of functions, principally it is a visual celebration and resource to promote the photographic work of William Dolce (and other local people) to a world wide audience. It allows the viewer to gain informed insights into the lives and social history of Bootle and its community. Also enabling people to gain an insight into the ‘environment’ in which previous generations lived. The photographs and other materials record the personal memories of those whose life stories would otherwise be lost to future generations .…. local people will have “their voices heard”, also providing a sense of belonging and a sense of place.

To view each of the documentary photographs as a single item CLICK ON THE SELECTED PHOTOGRAPH and the photograph will appear with an explanation text. Please note that the various photographs within this site are laid out without any specific order or theme and are continually being added to.

Hopefully, this site will provide future Bootle generations (and those throughout the World) with an insight into the ‘LIFE’ that was in this Bootle community. The photographs enable people to view again people, street scenes, buildings, events and environment, many of which have been long demolished, changed or the people have died.

Currently, the photographs included on this “WILLIAM DOLCE FLICKR” site represent only a fraction of the available archives. In the descriptive text accompanying the individual photographs you will find some information supporting and explaining certain visual images, events, activities, etc. Every possible care has been taken to verify the facts. "I continue to do my best to make sure that all details and information are correct, but please remember that specific and relevant changes will be made at short notice". Descriptive texts on the site may be subject to change as new facts and information becomes available and they will be incorporated into the descriptive text in the appropriate place accompanying the photographs.

The majority of the photographs currently displayed on this site concentrate on a specific time period 1977 onwards and show individual residents including children, teenagers and adults of the local Bootle community and the local environment, housing and other buildings. (The Flickr site is a 'snapshot' of life in Bootle).

"PARTICIPATORY PHOTOGRAPHY PRACTICE ESTABLISHES THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PHOTOGRAPHY AS A TOOL FOR FOMENTING AN ENDURING CRITICAL CONSCIOUSNESS, INHERENTLY EMPOWERING QUALITIES AND CAPACITY TO ENABLE CHANGE. TO ‘EMPOWER’ GIVE A ‘VOICE’ AND ENABLE SOCIAL CHANGE".

Mr.WILLIAM DOLCE.

BOOTLE -- its Latin motto RESPICE, ASPICE, PROSPICE ..... "Look to the past, the present, the future".