Sausages, sandals and sex toys – step into the colourful and influential world of Martin Parr

Sausages, sandals, cigarettes and dildos find themselves in the provocative and captivating world of Martin Parr's photographic series, Common Sense. First revealed in 1999, this project continues to resonate in Bristol as part of the 2026 Bristol Photo Festival. Parr's lens captures the insatiable human desire for excess, putting an extraordinary array of objects on display.

In 1999, the London exhibition left a lasting impression, with vivid colors and peculiar shapes colliding in a sensory overload. Sausages, stockings, sandals, cigarettes, earlobes, uncooked meat, pigeons, and even dildos wrapped in plastic all vied for attention. The stark, almost nauseating experience, however, proved to be utterly absorbing.

As we reflect on the impact of Common Sense today, it's clear that our appetite for consumer goods has only intensified. Social media has expanded the canvas for Parr's keen observations, revealing the abundance of everyday items and their potential for transformation. He examines these objects with the precision of a police investigator, turning ordinary items into symbols of our culture of excess.

Using a 35mm camera, ring flash, and macro lens, Parr brings a new level of intimacy to his subjects. This technique, typically reserved for medical or dental imagery, allows him to create a hyper-saturated, shadowless documentary style that is almost as indecent as an adult magazine. As we immerse ourselves in the saturated colors, the attraction quickly shifts to discomfort, revealing the grotesque side of the familiar.

Parr's photographs invite us to laugh at the absurdity of the objects but also question whether we should be laughing at the subject or at ourselves. The images are a reminder of globalisation, mass production, and our never-ending pursuit of novelty and cheap thrills. While Common Sense is occasionally affectionate, it is always merciless in its examination of the world around us.