Tristram Kenton: 25 years photographing Mnemonic

Photographer Tristram Kenton first captured Mnemonic 25 years ago at Riverside Studios. He returned to document the reimagined production at the National Theatre this summer. He reflects on his time working with Complicité:

“Photographing Mnemonic again after 25 years brought on a sense of nostalgia. I was a young photographer having worked on many Complicité shows during the late 80s and 90s. It was always exciting to see such ground-breaking stagecraft and inventiveness.

25 years on from when I photographed Mnemonic at the Riverside in 1999, it made me look at myself and the journey I had been on in all that time, having brought up three children, two of which have now left and started their own life in different communities. Those same two boys came with me to see A Disappearing Number when they were 10 and 7 years old and were completely blown away by it.

I have continued to work in theatre, occasionally over the years photographing Complicité shows and having that same sense of wonder I had when I saw The Visit at The National Theatre in 1989. Coming full circle watching this brilliant company in 2024, I feel privileged to have had moments through my career to work with people I admire so much. Simon brought the company together at the start of one of the tech rehearsals to pose for a photograph for me. Look at us now, a quarter of a century later. The themes of memory, identity and connectivity, that Mnemonic explores, are there for all of us”.

Read A Night to Remember: The Return of Complicité’s Mnemonic – Captured in Pictures in The Guardian to trace the journey of Mnemonic through Tristram’s images.

Find out more about Mnemonic and book tickets here – final performance Saturday 10 August