Black_amp_amp_White_Photography_-_January_2016_

69

B+W

DO-IT-YOURSELF

ROADSIDE SHRINES AND PROTEST SIGNS

MAKING SENSE

OF WORDS

Half-finished but not forgotten, many do-it-yourself projects lie around waiting to be

revived and resuscitated. Workshops, garages and yards can be full of such things

and they can often create a poignant subject for a documentary project.

Good subjects to explore are classic car restoration and anything to do with boat

repair and renovation, especially canal barges. Look for hard-working weekend DIY

people working on renovation projects and see if you can capture the physical

marks of effort and labour, as this example shows.

Dock roads and industrial estates are mostly designed for car access only, so can

be pretty grim places for pedestrians. Tragically, when an accident does occur, it is

sometimes followed by a roadside shrine, as shown, or a homemade memorial

recording the event. In a similar vein, roadside protest signs also provide a key to

understanding tensions and disagreements within a community. Anything that shows

signs of human intervention where you’d least expect it is worth capturing.

Your chosen edgeland zone may already

be home to other creative people,

sharing low rent spaces alongside fixers,

manufacturers and distributors. Find out

if there’s any ongoing art projects in the

area, especially if they involve showing

work in the street or other open space.

Graffiti, as this example shows, might be

a signpost for something happening or

somebody’s emerging art practice.

SECTION 3:

SIGNS OF PEOPLE

Although most edgeland places may

be empty and without the vibrant

buzz of a city community, it’s worth

considering looking for and shooting

evidence of their inhabitants.

FINDING INSPIRATION

Edgelands: Journeys into England’s

True Wilderness by Paul Farley and

Michael Symmons Roberts

Richard Avedon –

avedonfoundation.org

Paul Seawright – paulseawright.com

John Davies – johndavies.uk.com

Ricardo Cases – ricardocases.es

PROJECT OUTCOME

Aim to make a series of prints on a

chosen theme, such as this example

made from a collection of painted

goalposts in industrial zones.

timdaly.com

66-69_TIM_DALY_185 ER/MB.indd 6966-69_TIM_DALY_185 ER/MB.indd 69 02/12/2015 11:2202/12/2015 11:22