Birmingham Galleries
My recent work concentrates on urban Birmingham and has a very different feel to my earlier reflections on Southsea, Norfolk and Australia. In seeking to understand this 'built environment', I have developed a range of new techniques to convey my impressions of the inner-city area. One of the many challenges a city presents, is the rapid pace of change. Many of the buildings and factories captured in my early work have already given way to apartment blocks. It is now a race against time between me with my camera, and the developers!
Initial work (2003 - 2005) —
My first Birmingham work was based around the discovery of the old industrial buildings - still within the inner city - often concealed amongst much newer developments. It draws on my earlier explorations of Victoriana, this time manifested in the form of in city infrastructure: factories, canals, roads and street furniture. Stark black and white images are used to invoke the spirit of the old city, while significant colours are added to evoke the mood of places and environments of an bygone era.
View the 2003 - 2005 gallery —>>
Current work (2006) —
To explore the multi-faceted nature of the city, my newest work uses layers of images to build up a composite. Different images are layered onto the canvas just as the architecture of the city reveals the different layers and eras of it's development: from the industrial society with it's brick factories, through post-war reconstruction in concrete, to the modern day city driven by consumption. The whole urban environment is a giant living palimpsest!
