Johnny Thornton

Apartheid in South Africa was taking its toll on Thornton, who deplored apartheid. At the time, in a relationship with his first love. A "Cape coloured" girl, Zelma.

He created a hostile, anti-apartheid image titled "The White Cop and Pretty Black Ida."

As Johnny Thornton recounts, "Obviously, the thought came from a fountain, in this image I turned it into a real girl."

As Johnny Thornton recounts, "This was shot in my flat at Oxford & Cambridge Mansions, Cabbell Street. The model was Deborah Vaughan, it was one of the images I shot for my artist friend Paul Roberts."

As Johnny Thornton recounts, "This was shot at Police Bay in the Seychelles for a sunglass brand called Carmargue. The model was the lovely Hylette. Many people have said "What filtration did you use?" It was none, there was a tropical storm coming and after shooting only a few frames the heaven opened and the rain bucketed down."

As Johnny Thornton recounts, "I became aware of the police being called 'Pigs' during the 1960s in America, relating to the Anti-Vietnam War movement. In London, Oz Magazine, that had begun its life in my hometown of Sydney, was making waves and was very much of my own thinking. I decided to produce a surreal photograph turning the literal translation into an image. The pig's head came from Harrods, which was hardly anti-establishment and is a dichotomy in itself."

Tempus Fugit - Vision 3 was in one of the magnificent bedrooms.

As Johnny Thornton recounts, "The series of four shots was set in the newly reopened St. Pancras Hotel. Robin Bell, my black & white printer, probably the best in the world, introduced me to Alistair Morrison who was organising a fund raising project for the Variety Club called Hidden Gems. I went along to the hotel and met Caroline Drayton, head of PR, who helped me find the locations for the shoot. Caroline told me about a picture of two Peacocks, uncovered on one of the walls during the renovations. I decided to use that image by cutting eyeholes in two large peacock feathers and sticking them to the model's eyes, and to introduce a large clock out of their eyeline to be the hidden gem of time. The title 'Tempus Fugit Non Autem Memoria' translates as 'Time Flies, But Not In Memory' and the series is dedicated to my daughter Saskia. The model is Melissa from an agency called Pure Storm."

The late Guy Bourdin was a protege of Man Ray, and he heavily influenced many of Thornton's photographs. In the words of Johnny, "Guy was a ground breaking image maker in the 1950's through to the 1980's. I worked in Malcolm Ryan's studios in Macklin Street, just off Bow Street at the same time as Guy in the 70's. It was far from a salubrious affair. I asked him why he liked the studios so much and he replied, "Because it's so shitty"."

Tempus Fugit - Vision 2 was in the first smoking room just for ladies, created when the hotel first opened in Victorian times.

As Johnny Thornton recounts, "The series of four shots was set in the newly reopened St. Pancras Hotel. Robin Bell, my black & white printer, probably the best in the world, introduced me to Alistair Morrison who was organising a fund raising project for the Variety Club called Hidden Gems. I went along to the hotel and met Caroline Drayton, head of PR, who helped me find the locations for the shoot. Caroline told me about a picture of two Peacocks, uncovered on one of the walls during the renovations. I decided to use that image by cutting eyeholes in two large peacock feathers and sticking them to the model's eyes, and to introduce a large clock out of their eyeline to be the hidden gem of time. The title 'Tempus Fugit Non Autem Memoria' translates as 'Time Flies, But Not In Memory' and the series is dedicated to my daughter Saskia. The model is Melissa from an agency called Pure Storm."

Tempus Fugit - Vision 1 was taken on the main staircase of the hotel where the Spice Girls recorded a hit video.

As Johnny Thornton recounts, "The series of four shots was set in the newly reopened St. Pancras Hotel. Robin Bell, my black & white printer, probably the best in the world, introduced me to Alistair Morrison who was organising a fund raising project for the Variety Club called Hidden Gems. I went along to the hotel and met Caroline Drayton, head of PR, who helped me find the locations for the shoot. Caroline told me about a picture of two Peacocks, uncovered on one of the walls during the renovations. I decided to use that image by cutting eyeholes in two large peacock feathers and sticking them to the model's eyes, and to introduce a large clock out of their eyeline to be the hidden gem of time. The title 'Tempus Fugit Non Autem Memoria' translates as 'Time Flies, But Not In Memory' and the series is dedicated to my daughter Saskia. The model is Melissa from an agency called Pure Storm."