Workplaces

A series of photographs of working spaces which contrast the fleeting visits of the working staff, project participants and visitors with the comparative permanence of the rooms and buildings. I took these pictures at the old workshop of Leicester community arts organisation, Soft Touch Arts Ltd. This was the final year of their time there before moving to new premises on New Walk which opened in 2015. By employing pinhole cameras the necessary longer exposures blur out the people, leaving only ghostly traces mingled with bursts of light and deep shadows. A Kershaw 110 camera using 120 film was used to photograph the hidden storage areas of this workplace. An unbranded disposable 35mm colour film camera captures the shadows of staff at a leaving party. Two other 35mm film photographs are collaged together creating a glimpse of desks, shelves and office equipment. A final digital SLR photograph of the empty office emphasises the impermanence of our time spent at work and our attachment to a particular location or workplace.