Scale Exhibition

For twelve years, Hibberd has travelled the globe asking iconic guitarists to share the innermost secrets of their favourite guitars. Hundreds of artists have answered his question. From world famous names to up-and-comers, punks, and misfits, they invited Kane to photograph their precious instrument in lifesize detail – front and back – 1:1 – at “Scale”.

They are immense and statuesque, but they are mostly stripped of a human touch because they stand alone, without their player, without their owner. There are no notes, just the object itself. By removing the very things that make a guitar work – the hands, the person – Hibberd, renders the instruments archival, like tools taken from a toolbox, or like Irving Penn’s famous found objects from the 1970’s; a discarded pack of Camels, a muddy glove on the road, a pile of bird bones, alone and naked, but always with some undetermined history.

Each photograph is paired with the fascinating story behind the instrument. Hear the story of where it came from and why it matters, almost as if the guitars could talk. Whether you’re a guitarist, a music fan, or a lover of fine photography, this exhibition offers a rare and intimate perspective on the instruments that shaped modern music.