The Environment - The City

Concept


My idea is surrounding the theme of Outer City living also known as Suburbia. Due to coming from London I have lived my whole life in Suburbia so I thought it would be a great idea to peruse from a personal thought.  I have a keen interest in architecture so I decided I would look at the structure of houses to create this project looking at the features of houses which prevails suburbia.





Influences 


Bill Owens

I have commenced this project by starting to look at the works of Owens. The use of this photographic viewpoint allows one to gain a clear perspective and understanding of  Suburbia. I especially am keen of image two I like how the images demonstrates the vast amount of housing which creates this idea of outer city housing and the life that embeds that style of living. The use of controlled space that these people are allowed to converge with is represented through the use of green space surrounding the housing is replicated again and again.

This style of photography is the sort of imagery you think of when relating to the idea surrounding suburbia. The use of limited green space and houses being extended into the background for miles it all seems controlled like there's no freedom in this lifestyle this style of humane leads. 

Todd Hido

 

Hido is a photographer I stumbled across when looking through the Internet at photographers who create work based upon the theme of Suburbia. I liked the idea of the use of lights being turned on in the image and the soft but very bold colours and the narrative that these colours portray to the viewer. I am particularly fond of image two I feel it portrays the idea of suburbia stronger than  image one. The use of the telephone cables  running through the street gives the viewer an insight into the semiotics which allows us to understand the narrative Hido is trying to portray. The application of the lights being turned on allows the viewer to identify that people actually do live her due to the non existence  of cars on the streets this would however confuse the viewer as if this location has been evacuated

Gregory Crewsdon 

I admire the way in which Crewsdon creates and styles his work the use of theatrical lighting gives us an insight into the type of narrative he wants the viewer to portray. Even though image one gives us a clearer insight into Suburbia life am I keen of Image two more. The use of the street lights and local shops gives the viewer a sense of a town outside of the big city, due to there being only one car in motion it shows us that this is a small non existent town. 

I feel these images show Suburbia life of the USA through the use of small shops and a lot of snow and the style of photography use to create this narrative the design of the housing also makes one be more inclined to think these photographs were situated in the USA.

Tom Hunter 

Hunter portrays Suburbia perfectly in this image. Image two shows iconic housing of outer city London. This photograph seems very staged the amount of lights turned on in the image and the darkness found surrounding  the housing seems very artificial. There is no people present but the doors are open in the middle of night with the majority of all lights on its as if there is no one present in this community of housing as if the community has been evacuated.



James Casabere 

Casabere clearly demonstrates the idea of a perfect American community. Image one portrays suburbia through the use of man made models. The use of low key lighting found in image one suggests the idea of street lighting which is found in Suburbia the use of attached housing and replicated housing portrays this idea of replicated living everybody lives equally the same.

Joel Sternfield

Sternfield gives the viewer an insight into the style of Suburbia living this image portrays replicated living which is found in a lot of suburbia complexes they were built to do one job there is no character found in these buildings. They were built for young professionals the housing is used for a short time period. Every piece of this image is controlled the use of nature surrounding the housing the type of cars the photographer wants to portray a certain narrative to the viewer.




Test Shoot - Suburbia Living 

The above photographs are test shots of my own taken towards the theme of Suburbia for this section I wanted to reveal to the viewer that Suburban housing can have character in a modern way the use of iconic brick is still used but the housing in the majority of the time sits alone as if there is still no sense of community the people are isolated.  The use of no people being photographed portrays to the viewer that there is no sense of human intervention everybody is isolated something that I do not believe occurs in all Suburbia living due to my own experience from growing up in a Suburbia lifestyle. 

Film: Revolutionary Road 

Looking at how Suburbia is portrayed through the use of film. Seeing how the setting of a suburban lifestyle is portrayed which may help me to portray the narrative to the viewer. 

'Revolutionary Road' is a film set in Suburban Connecticut the dress style portrays the the 1950s- 60s. The imagery found in this film portrays the perfect suburban setting of America it shows the the iconic American housing with the use of controlled land surrounding the home for the children to play on the use of an iconic swing portrays to the viewer that children help to demonstrate the perfect suburban lifestyle which many people wanted back then. 

Film: Blue Velvet

The opening sequence found in the film 'Blue Velvet' portrays to the viewer a sense of a perfect lifestyle a perfect community. The opening of the film reveals symbols which are linked to Suburbia and the lifestyle which is created.  The opening imagery of the film reveals the year of the film the use of an old red fire engine which fireman waving to the children as they go past represents an era of the 60s. The use of perfectly grown red roses and the white iconic Pickett fence shows the viewer that this is what is expected for this community of housing every house looks the same in the neighbourhood. The opening sequence shows a man watering his perfectly green cut grass the imagery presents us with a hose that doesn't fit the piping this reveals a metaphor to the lifestyle he leads something is wrong in this perfect Suburban community. 

Test Shoot Roundabouts

I wanted to move on and look at other elements of society that shows Suburbia. I situated myself at Chatham Maritime for this section of photographs I wanted to see how nature revolves around the 

community and is shown in a very controlled way in this community from the nature found on the roundabouts to the green space of their front gardens. I decided to photograph roundabouts due to wanting to reveal to my viewer the variety of ways nature is shown in Suburbia. Even though I am not focusing on nature in this project the use of the controlled nature reveals something about the style of living which is found in this community of houses and the way they live. 

The doors of the world 

I am fond of the vast amount of different doors which are presented to the world to the reveal something about the identity of that building. My aim is to photograph front doors of an a range of buildings to see if it creates a narrative to me and portrays a story to what the meaning of that door represents to the viewer. 

Test Shoot Doors 

I have decided to do some test shots of doors found in an area of Suburban living and the narrative the doors reveals depending on the house it represents. The below image shows that it doesn't matter what the personality of house is everything is the same everything has to be the community of living is the same on the outside they have to to perceived in a certain way. 

Contact Sheets for Final Outcome

I completed two photo shoots using medium format colour film photography. I shot in two different locations the first location in East Dulwich, London and the second in Chatham Maritime. I wanted to focus on the idea of doors and what they portray to the viewer I feel doors represent the idea of the Suburban life depending on the door does it represent the lifestyle of the people inside. Below are my final images which I feel clearly demonstrate a show my development process of the City project they show a variety of doors found in Suburbia. 

Final Images