Worthing, A Portrait of a Town
What makes up a town? Is it the buildings, shops, and restaurants, or is it the parks, playgrounds, and swimming pools? A town’s identity is wrapped up by its local culture, traditions, and notable events. Through human eyes, the past and present are seen at the same time. I am seeking to depict the subtle nuances and contrasts that define Worthing, unveiling the layers of its history, culture, and contemporary challenges. This evolving narrative aims to bridge the individual experience of Worthing with the communal, inviting viewers to connect with the intricate tapestry of a seemingly ordinary yet uniquely captivating town, The everyday made magical by shining a light upon it.
My work draws from a tradition of photographers working to portray a location in pictures over a period of time. From Eugene Atget photographing a changing Paris, Walker Evans documenting America in the depths of the depression, and Humphrey Spender and the Mass Observation Project recording everyday life in Britain. My aim is a humanist endeavour to produce images with accuracy honesty and intensity, images that clearly reflect my subject matter in front of me. My image taking process involves using a mixture of analogue and digital cameras, depending on the subject and setting. My images are black and white, as I find they have a simplicity and directness that I find complements my intention to document what I see around me.
My project is ongoing, it began when I moved to Worthing and has no current end point. I am a more recent resident, though with a generational family link. My grandmother lived here for some years as a young woman in the 1940s and my father was born here. Now I am using my camera as a means of observing, exploring, and forming connection in this specific place, the physical and human space, seeking a sense of belonging to a community that I did not grow up in but that I am now making my new family home in. There are multi-layered experiences of people who have lived whole lives here, or moved and come back to their hometown, and those who have generations of family memories in a place.
