For the January 2010 issue of Blueprint, our Opening Shot was provided by Chris Greenaway, a third year photography student at Winchester School of Art. Blueprint’s art director Patrick Myles set a brief asking the students to capture strange, new or critical aspects of the built environment. Presented here are the series of photographs taken by the students with an explanation of their shot. Chris Greenaway’s photograph (below) can also be seen in the print edition of the magazine.

Chris Greenaway
 
This image and the ongoing series from which it is taken is a means of exploration in isolated public spaces. It looks at these areas after dark, and manipulates the lighting to scrutinise the relationship between the purpose of the place and how it is actually perceived. It is manufactured to be found curious how signage designed to encourage the safe crossing of pedestrians is turned on its head to display scenes that would create unease and connote danger. Being someone who frequently walks at night, this represents a personal reflection on my feelings, a response to the barrage of media stories concerning senseless attacks and muggings that appear so rampant across the country. It comments on how poorly lit areas are ripe for trouble, and the effect that feeling insecure on the streets can have on the lives of the community.

Alick Cotterill

Many results of 1960s planning disasters can still be seen today, neglected by councils now just as their design was neglected 40 years ago. In this instance, some effort has been made to provide recreational areas for the younger generation, but even this has been not been properly thought through. With the multifunctional court here completely unlit and its surroundings not faring much better, it’s no wonder that stereotypically these types of places are seen as unsafe, shady locations. The photographer provided the light seen here bathing the court. It is clear that the recreational parts were added far later than the 60s, yet it seems lessons have not been learnt.

Brooke Phillips

This picture shows the re-branded southwest train, which runs between Brockenhurst and Lymington as the Heritage Line. The heritage service was launched on May 12 2005. Given that it was only a few years ago that slam-door trains were the main stay of the South of England railway services, the surprisingly nostalgic train is idyllic and proud when making the 30-minute loop back and forth between its 3 close stops everyday. However changes to replace the heritage line with modern trains will take place in May 2010. So it seems that it may have been no more than a marketing exercise and excuse to run time-expired rolling stock as the heritage line.

Maddie Waters

As Southampton is famous for its twin tide and historic water front, I chose to photograph the River Itchen after visiting various locations around the area. This particular photograph was taken early one morning from underneath the horseshoe bridge on the St Denis side of the river. The image shows a silhouette of the recent developments of Bitterne Manor. As daylight breaks over the river, beautiful reflections are generated making for a good image. I used a long shutter speed and an Aperture of F22 to allow the camera to pick up the reflections on the water but keep the buildings in shadow. I chose to loose the detail of the buildings so to allow them to appear as one block colour against the water. I wanted to create a contrast between man made buildings and the natural environment.

Pawel Miatkowski

The history of Bournemouth Pier starts in 1859, when it was 1,000 ft long  and ended with a T head, which was washed away after marine teredo worms caused damage to wooden pile.  In 1880 Pier was reopened with a new iron construction. In years 1945-1950 the pier was reconstructed again, and in 1960 the seat pavilion was added. Between 1979 and 1981 the structure was strengthened with concrete and an entrance was built. Today it is part of a beach leisure center surrounded with nightclubs, restaurants and hotels. It is a romantic and historical place; there are lots of events going on. I decided to have a look what is underneath, to the part that is not visited by many people. I chose evening hours when it started getting dark – I was able to take long-exposure pictures, to capture the movement of water and the light reflections between the pier’s symmetrical construction.

Rebecca Starsmore

The Ryde Paddle Steamer lies rotting on the Isle of Wight.  This vessel holds a huge amount of history.  Two years after its launch in 1937 it was commissioned by the Royal Navy as a minesweeper, then as an anti-aircraft ship.  It is one of the few remaining vessels that were present at the D Day landings on Omaha beach. Since then it has been converted in to a gin palace, a floating hotel and finally a nightclub.  Unfortunately now it has been left to rot.  The Paddle Steamer Ryde Trust is putting in a huge effort to raise £7 Million in order to save it and restore it to its former glory.

Suzanne Williams

I have always been interested in architecture and the adaptation of old spaces for modern purposes such as tourism, industry and housing. This image shows the modern use within the ringing chamber of Winchester Cathedral. The sweeping ropes seem to mask the stone arches and old timbers, and highlights the human involvement that still occurs in this ancient Norman Tower on a day to day basis. In this photo the ends of the ropes are looped onto a set of hooks that can be raised and lowered from the ceiling, this is so that they are safely out of the way when they are not being used.

James Clark 

This image inspired me to begin a series documenting houses that are situated directly by electricity pylons. It began as an exploration into our attitudes towards energy in today’s increasingly power-hungry world – everyone wants to reap the benefits, yet few would volunteer to suffer both the visual and much-debated physical side effects of living in such close proximity to a pylon. However, estimates show this is a burden that 23,000 UK households must bear. This project also touches on the theme of sub-urban spread – like many others, this pylon out-dates the houses around it, calling into question the judgment used in town planning during suburbia’s outward sprawl.