My 2 year long project - A documentary on an English new city

[Lilserenity]

Hiya,

Well what with it being no gear talk day today, which suits me down to a tee (I haven't got a clue what a helical or shim is...) I have finally completed what has been a 2 year project of which 20 months of it was spent photographing (the first 2-3 were reading and planning -- not that there was any plan at any stage, it evolved.)

I'm sure a few are sick of me mentioning it here and there but it is of course my Milton Keynes project, or Impression Milton Keynes as the final book is known. It is not yet finished, it should have been but editing and managing scan files on my computer has proven to be a much bigger hurdle than taking the pictures (and not nearly as fun.)

The project documents the landscape, people, place and everything that I could sum up from my mind that would help me document a living breathing place, a city (and yes I am very aware that technically MK is not yet a city in law, but it was designated and designed to become one, it will one day.)

As the project evolved from candids and landscapes, I had the fortune of gradually getting residents who live in the city to have their picture taken, and soon I had many of the people who actually worked to design and build the city lining up for their photo! The upshot is that I have had the privilidge of meeting some folks I never believed I would, such as Derek Walker who lead the team that designed much of early MK including the Central Milton Keynes area, Ken Baker who was also integral to the CMK team, artists who played a major role in the arts development in the city, the people who looked after the landscape and parks...Much more than I can describe in this post without you nodding off.

The result is probably some 3-4,000 photos, of which only 500 were of any real value, and only 250-300 will be published (via Blurb for now.)

I am working on an introduction, every attempt so far has been a failure. But I will get there but this is why I take pictures, to explain the things I can't put into words.

Anyway... I have a few exhibitions lined up, and hopefully when the Arts Council come around, I shall be having a book launch (hopefully by the mid-century given that editing the book is taking an age!) and maybe promote the project on radio etc.

A preview of the first ~50 pages of the book, complete with crap introduction which is sitting there as no more than Lorem Ipsum would can be previewed here:

http://impressionsunrise.com/IMK_Small.pdf (about 3MB)

It's a low resolution preview.

All the photos were taken on my OM2n, Leica M2 or Minolta Autocord. Initially with Kodachrome, but from July 2009 onwards, increasingly with Ektar, Portra and Elite Chrome 100 and 200.

I hope you enjoy. I sort of describe it my Pittsburgh, but I couldn't ever possibly compare myself to W Eugene Smith -- but I get totally what he said of the Pittsburgh Project and I see parallels in the experience, if not in the aim or the physical outcome.

Vicky

 

[Lilserenity]

Here are some goofy facts about my project 🙂

- I thought I would complete the project in two weekends
- I took me almost a month and a half in total (not continuously)
- My old car was broken into in May 2009, I almost killed the project there and then. Some equipment was stolen as I was stupid enough to reduce my pack weight and leave stuff in the boot.
- One December evening I got back from work. Went inside my flat, looked at my camera and decided to visit MK. 130 miles later I arrived that evening, a Tuesday and went to the pub and then shot in the bitter cold for 3 hours. One of the photos appears on the 1st page of the book.
- I have probably walked about 400+ miles on the project, about 10 miles every day
- I have cycled about 100 miles on the project
- Another car was written off by some plonker on a roundabout who drove into me on the way to MK this July
- I don't and never have lived in Milton Keynes!

 

[TennesseJones]

thank you vicky, really enjoyed looking through the work, post when the exhibitions start...

 

[MV72]

Very interesting project. Thanks for posting. Good luck with the book.

 

[Lilserenity]

Thanks guys, will keep you posted.

 

[Tom A]

Interesting project! I like the almost "doll-house" looks to some of the houses! I remember when MK was built - first "New Town" - great controversy too.
There is nothing like an obsession! You keep shooting and editing and, usually, unless someone tells you to stop - you never get finished.
Congratulations - and, by now you are probably considering MK II - as you keep seeing the stuff you thought you missed the first time around.
Keep us posted on book/exhibits etc.
Tom

 

[mike kim]

Very interesting. I must admit that "concrete jungle" was a phrase that came to my mind the first time I visited Milton Keynes, especially because at that time, the little I knew of England was limited to short trips to London, York, and other touristic sites while studying in Oxford. However, your photos show something different. 🙂 What's funny is that I literally just came back to Los Angeles after spending a rather longish weekend in Haddenham, and I already miss it so much!

 

[Lilserenity]

Interesting project! I like the almost "doll-house" looks to some of the houses! I remember when MK was built - first "New Town" - great controversy too.
There is nothing like an obsession! You keep shooting and editing and, usually, unless someone tells you to stop - you never get finished.
Congratulations - and, by now you are probably considering MK II - as you keep seeing the stuff you thought you missed the first time around.
Keep us posted on book/exhibits etc.

Thanks Tom, it did indeed become obsessional, it still is, but without that I don't think I could have driven the project through. Particularly as I am a no-name, self taught in the world of photography nobody -- I've had to open all the doors on this one -- no reputation to precede me; but I've enjoyed that. Its proven to me that you don't need to be somebody to do these kinds of things, a bit of perseverance, belligerence, enthusiasm -- can work wonders!

I am already considering another project which will be a kind of MK II -- but not on MK, I shan't be doing any other English new towns either. But it is likely to be on juxtapositions (some of my ideas on juxtapositions appear in IMK) and awkward urban and rural landscapes, but the ideas are still brewing.

It's true about knowing when to stop, in fact I'll never finish this project as I'll return time to time after the book is done, that is for sure,. There's always one more photo, one more piece of truth!

Vicky

 

[Lilserenity]

Very interesting. I must admit that "concrete jungle" was a phrase that came to my mind the first time I visited Milton Keynes, especially because at that time, the little I knew of England was limited to short trips to London, York, and other touristic sites while studying in Oxford. However, your photos show something different. 🙂 What's funny is that I literally just came back to Los Angeles after spending a rather longish weekend in Haddenham, and I already miss it so much!

Wow who would have thought it. I last visited Haddenham 8 years ago, it has changed since I was younger, much more 'suburbanised' and neatly kempt, but it still had some of its charms intact, I am sure it still does.

The thing about Milton Keynes has always been about image and reality (to take the name of a very good book on the city) -- the image often precedes the reality, but the reality often draws the image into conflict. As a whole, as a synthesis of the whole MK is not the things it is often criticised for being, it's different, very different to even the standard understandings of suburban (I think it's the true meaning of suburban and very unapologetic about it too.)

I can't dismiss what people think entirely as that is their opinion but a lot of it is very simplistic superficial readings based on expectations -- I'm sure some people will still not like it, but that's the importance of choice, if you like it -- you can live there, if you don't -- then no one is forcing you to.

Glad you enjoyed it, and maybe in its early days people would have thought of it as being like a Little Los Angeles, but as you live in LA -- I'm sure you'll have to agree that there is no way that LA and MK are alike except for the 'wonky' (at an angle) grid system.

Vicky

 

[Bob Michaels]

I strongly recommend Dream Street by Doug McColloh which is a multi year documentary of the 1999 construction of a community in Ontario California (metro LA) It begins before the first dirt was turned and continues through the lives of some who are buying the tract houses. And the actual book is even better than Doug's website.

 

[Naumoski]

Great project, nice photos and story, and the place as well 🙂

 

[Brian Levy]

Well worth the effort; the results are great and the story excellent. You probably will see one book on almost every coffee table in the city and elsewhere. You now have entered that realm of historical permanence. A hundred years from now when the most famous of court cases are no longer remembered or cited, you and the book will still be affecting persons emotionally and informationally.

 

[umboody]

Excellent work throughout. And from a graphic designer point of view, superb! Keep up the great work!

 

[Lilserenity]

I strongly recommend Dream Street by Doug McColloh...

Thanks that does look interesting, I will have to check it out. I like the fact it's named after the only real published account of Gene Smith's Pittsburgh Project!

Great project, nice photos and story, and the place as well 🙂

Thanks, I never expected praise!

Well worth the effort; the results are great and the story excellent. You probably will see one book on almost every coffee table in the city and elsewhere. You now have entered that realm of historical permanence. A hundred years from now when the most famous of court cases are no longer remembered or cited, you and the book will still be affecting persons emotionally and informationally.

Having read this my breath was taken away, you're very kind. I can't say you are right; it would be wrong of me to. But I know all the people I have worked with in MK and there are hundreds, they are very much behind the project.

I just felt in the end I had to do this, but most of all I have enjoyed doing this.

Excellent work throughout. And from a graphic designer point of view, superb! Keep up the great work!

Again thank you for the praise. The design is more or less set (there's a couple of errors, one being the roman numeral font is wrong in the preface, it should match the main body which is of course Helvetica Neue) -- but the design is intended to be simple and let the pictures speak; which is why I am a bit awkward about the preface's current state.

It's worth me adding that the book will have some 225+ more pictures in that in this preview.

It's an intensive and deep piece of work, and hopefully the pictures are of some cop!

Vicky

 

[Michael Markey]

What can you say ...lovely work Vicky.
You`ve done MK proud.
I reckon you should do a project on Poundbury next.
I`m sure Charles would commision you.

 

[MartinP]

Very very well done! After the next busy - and successful - year you could look again at the themes you have developed further and take something to Arles 2012 ? This is not an entirely frivolous idea . . .

"I haven't got a clue what a helical or shim is..."
errrrmmm, I think a helical is a baby helicopter and Shim was something to do with the founding of Magnum ???

(And I'm still playing with RA4, after your enthusiastic post a few months ago).

 

[Lilserenity]

What can you say ...lovely work Vicky.
You`ve done MK proud.
I reckon you should do a project on Poundbury next.
I`m sure Charles would commision you.

Thanks Mike. As for Poundbury, hmmm yes. No discredit to the people who live there at all, but that place leaves me dumbfounded.

Very very well done! After the next busy - and successful - year you could look again at the themes you have developed further and take something to Arles 2012 ? This is not an entirely frivolous idea . . .

Thanks Martin, it's certainly an idea, I wanted to go to Arles this year but workload, changing jobs, car being written off in an accident (see my 2nd post at the top) and all sorts it never happened but we will see!

Thanks,
Vicky

 

[Colin Corneau]

I have a big fascination and a real respect for projects like this. I think they're incredibly important, and as any photographer can tell you they are terrific for morale and creative inspiration...you'll never work as hard or as eagerly as on the jobs you give yourself!

I think documenting a place -- a community, its people, its environment -- is incredibly worthy and important. I'm doing something similar with the downtown of my small city...just a personal hobby at first but as you said so well, it grows into a real obsession.

Best of luck with your project. At the risk of appearing naive, I really believe that when you follow your passion on things like this, opportunities come up. Sooner or later, someone will hear of this and suggest a book deal, an exhibition, a contest to enter...whatever.
Good for you, for this idea.

 

[Lilserenity]

I have a big fascination and a real respect for projects like this. I think they're incredibly important, and as any photographer can tell you they are terrific for morale and creative inspiration...you'll never work as hard or as eagerly as on the jobs you give yourself!

Absolutely, I'm a driven person with anything I get behind but this has just truly snowballed, and I didn't mind pushing as it felt important to me to do this. I've learned a lot, but I have also met some really wonderful people doing the project; it's been quite inspirational really.

I think documenting a place -- a community, its people, its environment -- is incredibly worthy and important. I'm doing something similar with the downtown of my small city...just a personal hobby at first but as you said so well, it grows into a real obsession.

Best of luck with your project. At the risk of appearing naive, I really believe that when you follow your passion on things like this, opportunities come up. Sooner or later, someone will hear of this and suggest a book deal, an exhibition, a contest to enter...whatever.
Good for you, for this idea.

Thanks Colin, I think it's worthwhile. The thing I struggle most with though is I don't have any agenda except to say this place isn't what you might think it to be. But then people get confused of why I am showing the bad and ugly -- it's a contradiction. But ultimately I just want to show what I see. I think the most powerful part of it for me has been the deprived areas where people have been so readily willing to engage and talk, show they do love where they live despite labels put on their areas, and having them standing proudly outside their front doors, in their gardens, on their streets saying this is where I live. It's putting something so otherwise transient and fleeting (ordinary everyday life) into a firmer grounding.

As for book deals...well we'll see, but I have managed to push for exhibitions and I will push for more, I have a couple coming up next year in MK but I'm ready to push this but the photographic press is proving difficult as ever; but I won't stop trying.

Doing this project has made me a much much better photographer than I was 2 years ago, mostly by providing me something that allows me to express just how I feel about life and a place at this point in time. Not an easy thing to do, whether I have totally succeeded I don't know, but I am quietly pleased with the outcome!

Vicky

 

[chris000]

Thanks Mike. As for Poundbury, hmmm yes. No discredit to the people who live there at all, but that place leaves me dumbfounded.

I find most things to do with Prince Charles have that effect! 😀


It is looking good Vicky, do crack on and get it finished, such good work deserves to be 'out there'.