Entire Photographic Series
Besides the Seaside explores and documents the reality of residential living beyond the postcard ideology of the Cornish seaside town of Falmouth. From an external point of view, Falmouth is commonly identified by beautiful beaches, picturesque cottages with brightly coloured doors and quaint little streets, when realistically, there is a whole other world living behind the facade. This world is one which individuals would not typically classify as Falmouth, being situated amongst the 10 per cent most deprived areas in the country. It is a two sided story. This contrast between the tranquil, desirable Cornwall and its harsh reality is the focus of this photographic essay. What lies behind the unseen?
Over the past 4 weeks, as a group, we were encouraged to explore locality and the sense of the area in which we live from multiple perspectives. By generating a range of possible subject matters, I uncovered my final focus (the facade of Falmouth) and consequently experimented with different styles of photography to reflect this theme in the best possible way.
The final series of photographs have been monochromatically edited. The black and white effect evokes a sense of bleakness and emptiness, devoid of colour and therefore creates a particular atmosphere surrounding the images. The photographs focus on details within the areas which may appear unappealing and lack any pleasant attributes, providing the viewer with an honest representation of the area, demise of refinement, adjustments or alterations.
Some of the photographs are abstract, with an increase amount of white space, combined with the use of shadows, shapes and interesting elements, which provide the viewer with details to explore and question.
The work is inspired by local photography Oliver Udy, German photographer Michael Schmidt and British photography Chris Killip.
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To conclude this project I wanted to say a huge thank you to both Steve House and Nick Raven at Falmouth University for this wonderful experience and project over the past four weeks. Additionally, I want to thank everybody who came to view the exhibition, it was wonderful discussing and networking with students from alternative courses and members of the public!
Finally, thank you for viewing this project!
(be sure to check out the full photographic collection here)
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