Portrait of local millionaire to be viewed by "millions"

Thursday 30 August 2018

A portrait of a local millionaire who once offered to buy Waterfront land for £1million to protect it from being built on will be viewed by "millions" at bus stops, on high streets and in train stations across the UK.

The photograph of high-value resident Stuart Weaving, which was snapped by local photographer Martin Toft, forms part of the prestigious 'Portrait of Britain' exhibition.

Mr Toft photographed Stuart Weaving in 2015 at the beginning of Masterplan - a five-year project using photography, film and archival research to tell the story of Jersey’s economic growth and development in the 20th and 21st centuries.

Mr Weaving was one of the original wealthy residents who came to Jersey in the late 1960s. He was granted the 1(1) (K) status requiring him to rent or buy properties above a set value in return for favourable tax arrangements. 

Pictured: Mr Weaving lives in a penthouse at Marina Court in the Esplanade area. (Google Maps)

A British serial entrepreneur with close ties to South Africa, Mr Weaving has lived in a penthouse at Marina Court, the residential tower block overlooking the Esplanade, since 1982.

"He is locally known as the man who offered the Waterfront Enterprise Board (now Jersey Development Company) £1 million for part of the Les Jardins site in 2005 and returned the land to the ownership of the States of Jersey with the proviso that it could not be built on," Mr Toft explained.

The photographer said the portrait is not about Mr Weaving per se. Instead it is about "what it represents within the context of an island that actively market itself as an ideal location for wealthy individuals and their families and businesses to settle in."

Pictured: The portrait of Mr Weaving, which will go on display as part of the Portrait of Britain exhibition, being viewed, potentially, by "millions."

"It’s worth noting that in 2017 Locate Jersey, the Government body set up to manage High Value Residency had 155 enquiries with 34 HVI applications approved - a significant increase compared with 2016," Mr Toft added.

Born in Aarhus, Denmark in 1970, Mr Toft taught himself photography before completing a MA (by Project) in Fine Art at University of Portsmouth in 2000.

He moved to Jersey in 2004 to take up the post of Teacher of Photography at Hautlieu School. He says his practice combines a documentary and fine art approach to explore social, anthropological and cultural themes.

Pictured: Martin Toft has been living and working in Jersey since 2004.

Mr Toft said he was very pleased that his portrait, entitled 'High Net Worth Individual', was selected as one of the 100 winners in the prestigious Portrait of Britain competition. Presented by the British Journal of Photography, the competition invites photographers of any level to submit portraits "that capture the many faces of modern Britain." 

In partnership with JCDecaux, the winning portraits will be shown on the company's advertising screens in the UK, on bus stops, high streets and in train stations, as part of the biggest exhibition of contemporary portraiture. Mr Toft says this will be offer a lot of exposure as the portrait could potentially be seen by "millions" of people.

The winning and shortlisted photographers will also see their work featured in a globally-distributed book, Portrait of Britain, with an introduction by Will Self and published by Hoxton Mini Press.