Power and society

Images of England and America come together in two very different exhibitions to launch Liverpool's newly relocated Open Eye Gallery (the only photographic gallery in North West England) on November 5. The gallery's been around since 1977 and has had various homes before moving into it's new purpose-built location on Liverpool Waterfront, just a short walk from the Tate (perfect for a day of hardcore culture). The new gallery is twice the size of the old one, reasserting Open Eye's reputation as one of the leading exhibitors and collectors of photography in the UK.

Chris Steele-Perkins, Blackpool Beach, from The Pleasure Principle (1989)

The shoulder pads are brought out from the Open Eye archive with Magnum photographer Chris Steele-Perkins' show The Pleasure Principle, which takes a strangely removed look at England during the 80s. The project was put together after the photographer returned from travelling through a number of poorer nations. Margaret Thatcher, seaside holidays, Laura Ashley upholstery and the odd perm all make an appearance but rather than sparking any feelings of familiarity in the nostalgic views of a bygone era, the photos instead evoke a kind of detachment. Born in Burma, Steele-Perkins offers a unique perspective on English culture, in part as a result of moving to England with his father at the age of two, leaving his mother and birth-place behind. As a result he says he's never truly felt part of the country he grew up in. "England is a strange place - funny, complex and sad," he told Phaidon. "Distance yourself from it, experience other cultures, then look again. That strangeness becomes overwhelming."

Open Eye's other opening show is a collection of Mitch Epstein images called American Power. It's the US photographers first solo show in the UK.

Mitch Epstein, BP Carson Refinery, California (2007)

Epstein was awarded the 2011 Prix Pictet Photographic Award (the only award for photography and sustainability) for his work exploring the production of energy in the US. Starting in a small town in Ohio in 2003, Epstein travelled to 25 states over six years, documenting, through his photographs, the effects of mass consumption.

Mitch Epstein, Las Vegas, Nevada (2007)

Open Eye Gallery's archives contain more than 1,600 images and include photographs from the likes of Tom Wood, Edith Tudor-Hart and Martin Parr - who, incidentally, is also curating Richard and Famous, a show about celebrity and fandom, set to open in January next year.

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