For the current
module, we were based around the idea of re-photography. Before this I didn’t
know what this meant, but after some research I was excited to see what I could
create. We were split into groups and given an area of Salford to focus on. My
group was given Swinton and a small part of Pendlebury. I have never been to
that area before, and knew nothing about any other area of Salford to be
honest. We first went to the archive at the Salford Museum and Art Gallery,
Duncan directed us to where we should look for the images. We had a lot to
choose from as we had 2 large filling cabinets to look through. Looking at the
old 1950s map, it was clear to see the landscape had changed at the current
day. We were able to find a lot of images, and decided to go as a group to the
location.
When I got to the location it was obvious
that it was going to be more difficult to find anything recognizable. The area
had been developed as a council housing estate, and most of the houses had been
changed or completely demolished. I was able to find the mill, but even that
looked very different, the angle wasn’t correct and over all couldn’t find the
shot I wanted. After a few more shoots, I was able to find the areas I waned
and was able to edit my images together how I wanted them. I wanted to show the
main street in Swinton, I aimed to show the main shops, bus stops, and public
buildings. I wanted to show Swinton to the people who hadn’t ever been, as well
as the people who live there.
But after collecting my edited images, I
felt they didn’t show Swinton in the way I wanted. I wanted to show something
people may not see, even if they lived in the area. I chose to use some images
I took in the St Augustine's church I found in Swinton. The interior was
beautiful and atmospheric. I spoke to the leader of the group that looks after
the building; he talked about the community aspect of the church. I wanted to
use these images for this project, even though the images weren’t what I first
intended them to be, I felt they showed the area at its best.
Over all I enjoyed this module, it was
challenging, but also every interesting. I enjoyed visiting the archive,
looking through the old images of the area, and finding out more about the
area. I found carrying out the work experience at the gallery very rewarding,
the end result looked great and the curator of the gallery expressed her
gratitude and said it looked great. I thought that was a great part of the
module, because other wise I wouldn’t have taken the opportunity up. I am happy
with my final images; I feel they show the great areas hidden in Swinton.
