Stephen Gill Buried

http://www.stephengill.co.uk/portfolio/?page_id=8

Buried is photography project by photographer Stephen Gill. The photographs were taken in Hackney and later buried there in different locations across the area. The reasons behind the work was to identify and highlight the issues of delicted and decayed items and objects left in the area. The amount the images were left under ground for the year.

The pictures were buried also varied, in buried depth, location,  as did their positioning. Some of the photos were placed next to each other, others were wrapped in material and some were face to face. Here the photographer was experimenting with different outcomes and responses to his work.

After a year the photographer went round the area and dug up the photos, not knowing what an image would look like when finally revealed from the earth. The photos revealed and demonstrated how decay and natural elements affect objects psychically. Also the pieces that were left had historical significance as thoughts were left abut who placed the images and where they were taken. There was interaction with the audience through public who discovered the photos in the different locations.

Stephen Gill also released a book and associated documented text that describes the process over the year. Buried by Stephen Gill

Buried (Hardcover). Stephen Gill. Nobody (15 Nov 2006)

This inspired me to try this myself, i will take this forward and create experiment myself in my garden with different objects. Something that fascinated me when working as a cleaner how objects decayed or the history of been left in the elements.

Nostalgia 1971

http://hollisframpton.org.uk/nostalgia.htm

Hollis Frampton (1936-1984)

Hollis Frampton was an avant-garde filmmaker. Frampton’s ideas and techniques explored in photography and film making. His concepts and themes were science, investigating relationships between computers and art and sound reproducing.

 

 

Nostalgia (1971) 38 minutes

One of the films he produced Nostalgia is composed of still black and white photographs taken by the artist. Frampton during the film is burns elements of photos on a hot plate, during this process there are personal quotations and comments by a fellow artist.  As you are watching the decaying imagery and listening to comment so f the content of the image, you begin to engage with the visuals and think about different moments in your life past and present which is presented.

This is a something i felt when viewing Nostalgia as there were questions presented which i reflected when thinking of location photographs i had taken in my research. Seeing different locations, objects in a sate of decay presented questions to me about who would have used building, the culture significant, historical relevance and future possibilities.

Decasia is a 2002 found footage film by Bill Morrison excerpt 1 and 2

Descasia (2002) is found footage film by Bill Morrison. The soundtrack is created by Micheal Gordon.

The film has a number of found film stock and photographic prints that has decayed or discolored from natural causes. It has been enhanced during the production by the use of video editing on computers to create more abstract imagery.

The musical soundtrack of the film has several de tuned pianos and an orchestra that is featured in the film. Soundtrack is playing through out adding a fractured and decomposing soundtrack to the film.

Ramsgate Location Shoot

Saturday 7th November 2009

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Points to continue with my research.

Items that need to be researched after both location photography shoots.

Research based

• Organise a focus group have set questions about different items about local urban decay such as locations, causes, movement and future.
• Activate a online survey on the blog and ask surfers opinions on urban decay.
• Research locally about public planning for building new construction ‘West wood Cross” and deconstruction ‘Margate Sea Front”.
• Gather photographs of the local from 50 years ago such as plans and other buildings that have disappeared.

Practical Research Methods

• Set a experiment with several items of materials and assess how long it will take to decay. (1-2 weeks test time)
• Have a camera set up for a time lapse experiment how item decay in the open elements natural vs man made.

Margate Location Shoot

Tuesday 27th October 2009

Margate a Thanet was seen as the perfect seaside retreat for many families over the years, but the seaside has been in terminal decline since the late 1980s-early 1990s.

In its heyday, Margate – which sits on the north-east Kent coast – and its Grade II listed roller coaster attracted tens of thousands of day-trippers each year from Kent and London. Tourists came for old-fashioned seaside amusements, donkey rides on the beach and Punch and Judy shows on the sweeping promenade.

But by the mid-1990s, because of  better accessibility to the Continent and budget holiday packages resulted in a tourist exodus. Today, Margate is a shadow of its former self since it hey days of the earlier 20th century. But because of this exodus of the tourist trade Margate has seen of unemployment and crime levels spiraling above average national levels and this has brought huge social deprivation to some parts of the local community.

The local authorities Thanet District Council and Kent County Council hope that the opening of the gallery Turner Contemporary – named after the Romantic landscape painter Joseph M. W. Turner, who at one time lived in Margate and who painted along Thanet Coast line. Because of this the coucils hope that this will some how revive the town’s fortunes of previous times.  The gallery hopes to exhibit work from a range of local and international artists, which they hope will transform Margate into a creative vibrate community.

Margate’s Scenic Railway Britain’s oldest roller coaster went up in smoke in April, 2008 due to controversial circumstances, because of this many felt the regeneration hopes went up in smoke as well. But several Margate groups has also made a funding bids under the Sea Change Programme, a Government grant to fund regeneration, to  create a new historical theme park on the former site of the Dreamland amusement park.
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How the recession turned Margate into a ghost town

Go Margate Go

A video my friend uploaded 2 years ago on You Tube. The video is first 1 minute of a promotional film made in 1970 about my home town of Margate. How things change.

2 million visitors in 1970, the town is economically run donw now and has one of the highest rates of unemployment, teenage pregnancy and drug abuse in the country.