Plotlands of Shepperton: Photographs 2004 - 2016 - Couverture souple

Szczelkun, Stefan

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 1870736249 ISBN 13 : 9781870736244

Editeur : Routine Art Co an imprint of Working Press, 2020

Synopsis

This book provides photographic documentation of the houses on five plotland sites in Shepperton. 27 small colour photographs document Hamhaugh Island in 2004. There are then 14 full page photos of views across the Thames showing the riverside dwelling on the other bank. In addition there are 21 full page photographs of the plotland chalets in close-up view. Two of these are panoramas across a two page spread. A short section to finish has photographs of riverside chalets further downstream at Sunbury, Hampton and Eel Pie Island in Twickenham. Finally, there is a photograph of author JG Ballard's semi-detached brick house in Shepperton. The 'footnotes' that run along the bottom of the pages under the photographs are a river of words which are intended to reflect deeper significance into the images floating above them.

This is the second collection of colour photographs in a series that will illustrate the Plotlands of the UK in a way that does not seem to have been attempted before. It is hoped that this will provide the basis for a renewed debate on this method of providing first homes for working class people.

A propos du livre

À propos de l'auteur

The author went to Portsmouth to study architecture in 1966.The discomfort he felt with the profession resulted in his 'Survival Scrapbook 1 Shelter' which was published by Unicorn Bookshop in Brighton in 1972.'Food' and 'Energy' followed in 1974 and a Schocken Book edition of all three was published in North America. It was around this time that he first came across a colourful plotland community in Ovingham outside Newcastle, whilst touring with the Scratch Orchestra.The buildings seemed to be a form of architectural improvisation akin to the free form collective music making he was experiencing. Later he set up a building project for the musicians and this was shown as 'The Scratch Cottage' at Art Spectrum 1971. It was later in 1983 whilst teaching in Hull that he met Philip Wren whose thesis showed him how the Plotlands were an integral part of the pursuit of leisure by the working class. By now the plotlands had become a core interest in his wider study of working class culture. It was in the early 1990s after fifteen years of squatting that he had the good fortune to become a member of Sharsted Street Self-Build Co-op in Kennington. In three years from 1993 to 1996 ten families built ten houses. It was a dream come true, even if it wasn't a plotland! However Shepperton-on-Thames where the author lived from 1959 to 1966 had hundreds of plotland houses which had gone un-noticed as he grew up there. His mum continued to live in Shepperton until recently so there were occasional opportunities to take photographs.This book is the result of that informal documentary activity between 2004 - 2016.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Routine Art Co an imprint of Working Press
• Date d'édition: 2020
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 1870736249
• ISBN 13: 9781870736244
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 54
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible