Two Ideas...

In my origional project proposal I stated how I wanted to create a series of work, which created a critisism of societies attitude towards recycling and waste. My aim was to show a different side but also to teach myself about the matter through creating the work. After finding a set of maps on the enviroment agency which highlight areas near your postcode that are on record as being landfill sites I made the decision that these sites would be the location of my images. After further research of the areas in London I started taking photographs and finding more out about the sites - one of my initial questions was 'Where does London's waste go?' after finding that no one in my flat understood the ideas of recycling or reducing waste - something which I am not use to. After asking this question I made the decision to just look at the landfill sites in London - these sites being the site of Surrey Quays shopping centre, The O2 Arena in Greenwich and Wapping/ Shadwell. After photographing these areas I discovered that they were in fact the old docks from the 19th Century. This sparked more research into the docks and their use.

So far my research into the docks and to the disposal of waste has been: watching 'Peter Ackroyd's Thames' (2008), Patrick Keiller's 'London' (1992) and 'Robinson in Space' (1997), reading Black Dog Publishing's 'Recycle: The Essential Guide' which includes a number of case studies on recycling and waste management and also walking around and looking at the streets around the areas of the landfill sites.

From my research into Recycling I found a lot out about the different types of recycling, waste sites and also about ideas on how and what should be done to tackle the problem - a problem which many do not reguard as a problem. Through reading the preface and intordutcion of the book I learnt how many industiralised areas like shopping centres, golf courses and childrens areas are shaped by landfill if they can. To me this came as a shock but after looking at the idea more I'd quite like to create images which form a a neutral look on the situiation.

What I've come to understand, through this research and finding out that the park and play area that me and my two sisters grew up on is in fact a landfill site (from 1950 to 1962 (see this link)) is that as much as the land was filled in the first place at least it is being re-used and re-developed. At first I had a very negative view on the situation but now I have an understanding. It is not that I want to critisise the actual landfill sites which have been built on but instead to either highlight or to crisisise the sites of the landfill and to show the audience of my work what they are doing by littering and no recycling is creating more oppertunity for this to happen again.

Ramble over, two basic visual ideas are:

1.) Create an aerial view of Surrey docks out of found recycling and waste on the shopping centre site. Disgusing it with elements of nature - as rubbish is often hidden in these places. Personally this is an idea I want to go a head with but I feel as though it doesn't answer the brief of 'Modernism'.

2.) Create 3 images which highlight the area at home where the landfill site changed into the park complex for children and their parents - eg. capture these areas in a modernist fashion - playgrounds, golf courses and industrial areas like shopping centres.

Ramble two over... need to develop my two 120 films from the weekend. I'll scan in soon and post!