Miles Aldridge Offers 15-Minute Polaroid Portraits in London
British photographer Miles Aldridge is taking Polaroid portraits of the public in London this week. Anyone can book a 15-minute slot and sit for him.
The pop-up studio is at 62 South Audley Street in Mayfair. It is part of the Mount Street Neighborhood Arts Festival, a programme organised around art, food, culture and fashion across Mount Street, South Audley Street and Carlos Place WWD. It runs until Saturday, October 17 Broadsheet.
Inside is quick and simple. You sit against Aldridge's bright orange backdrop. Props on hand include teacups, old telephones and funny glasses. Pets are welcome to join in.
The 15-minute rule has a backstory. Aldridge had only 15 minutes to photograph Elton John after Time magazine named the singer its 2024 Icon of the Year WWD. He turned that tight deadline into the name and format for this project.
More than 1,400 portraits have already been taken as the travelling pop-up has appeared at art festivals around the world WWD. London is the latest stop.
The timing lines up with Frieze Week, the stretch of art fairs and gallery shows that draws crowds to the city each October. The Mount Street festival sits just beside that action, with partners this year including the American fashion label The Row, the London-based designer Simone Rocha and the London jeweller Jessica McCormack.
For visitors, this means no invitation is needed. You book a time. You pose. You leave with a print taken by a fashion photographer whose colour work usually appears in magazines and galleries.
