GEOMETRY + GEOLOGY II (2020)

Geometry + Geology II is an essay in personal memory. It develops themes I first explored in Geometry + Geology (2010-2014).

I spent my childhood living on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, and many holidays in the mountains of northern England. On moving to London as an adult, I noticed that its Brutalist buildings were often reminiscent of the rocks I grew up with. The rough, weather-stained, shuttered or sand-blasted concrete resembled the erosion-scarred terrain of the mountains; both essentially dark materials, especially in dour weather. The shadowy nooks and crevices inspired trepidation, and yet invited exploration. In The Seven Lamps of Architecture, John Ruskin writes of the significance of ‘power’ (or the sublime) in architecture. He cites the epic, uninterrupted wall, the ‘precipice’, as the archetypal expression of abstract power. To me, these Brutalist monoliths—like their mountain counterparts—also carry with them a sense of melancholy and solitude. Impervious, stark, with intersecting planes conveying a sense of geological force and weight. The geometric compositions add further to a sense of abstraction. There are no obvious symbolic forms introduced by the architects. The geometry is strong, but irregular. The buildings, considered as wholes, do not have lines of symmetry, again suggesting a comparison with mountain rock.

The fact that the North’s craggy landscapes enjoy widespread appeal, whereas Brutalist architecture is commonly hated—at least in the UK—also adds a compelling layer of paradox. The dark and strange is visible in the celebrated and familiar, and vice versa—a special instance of the Freudian uncanny.

Photographed on 5x4” sheet film & collaged in Photoshop.

Limited edition fibre based black & white silver gelatin prints are available from my shop.

CRYSTAL PARIS (2020–2023)

“Graffiti is like boxing.

The people who do it “professionally” tend to go round in circles pulling the same old moves all the time.

The real entertainment takes place on Amateurs’ night. That’s when you get to watch the bitter and twisted unleash all their pent up frustrations on an unsuspecting public in a desperate attempt to make some kind of point before collapsing under a cloud of their own bloodied spit.”

I moved to Crystal Palace, South London, in 2012. At the time, the whole area seemed a bit neglected—Crystal Palace Park especially. I didn’t see many Dr Who episodes as a young child, but one sticks in my memory: of Daleks attempting a futile chase across some rocky waste ground. The atmosphere was grey and tense. The park made me think of that scene—and more vividly every time I took the children out in their buggy over the next 5 or so years. (Daleks and temperamental children in buggies are not so dissimilar.) As you might expect from such a place, there’s plenty of scope for people to dream of different worlds. I’ve tried to capture some of those dreams.

Limited edition Giclée prints made on Hahnemüle Fine Art Baryta 325gsm paper are available from my shop.