Shoot the Messenger (Stockholm)

Shoot The Messenger, a project by photographer Anthony Hill, is a documentation of Stockholm’s cycle messengers, a sub-culture found in most cities worldwide.

215 x 280mm, 138 pages, First edition (300)

“The project began in winter 2018 and has continued throughout the following winters.
The portraits have all been taken during a ten-minute break in the riders’ working day.
It’s all about them and their bikes, which reflect the subculture and the harsh
environment they work in. When extreme weather locks down all other forms of
transport in the city, the messengers continue making deliveries in the snow and ice,
averaging 50-100km daily. Messengers describe their time within the job by winters, not
years.

The riders are amongst the most humble and philosophical characters I’ve had the
pleasure of photographing. The subculture spreads far and wide. In Stockholm, you’ll
find Swedish, European, and World champions. Messenger championships, races, and
‘alley cats’ take place around the globe, and it’s common for the bikes to feature
stickers and badges hinting at these events. The riders are often from varied
backgrounds with many stories to tell, and the messenger community is tight-knit and
supportive.

Ultimately, this project documents a select group of individuals with a chosen lifestyle
in a specific place during a particular period of time. It is also an homage to the bicycle.
As climate change highlights city congestion and the inevitable decline of fossil fuel
vehicles, the bicycle continues to prove timeless, efficient, and environmentally
friendly.”
-Anthony Hill