I envisage my work in an abandoned and desolate setting, connecting the contextual meaning with a tangible sense of abandonment. It is my intention to take photographs of the sign within this environment and show prints alongside the sign itself. This allows me to underpin my work with a purpose, rather than just as a show piece.
I have driven past this particular site many times, on my way to Leicester. I've always been drawn to the building, wondering about it's history. The building has unique and captivating shape, reminiscent of the Mid-Century Modern American buildings I have discovered in my past research. It is totally abandoned, with rotten fascias and faded posts in the window. It seems to have been frozen in time. I was extremely curious as to why it hadn't been knocked down or refurbished, but could not find much information online.
I decided to purchase the land registry online, and discovered that the site was sold in summer 2023, which would hint that it will be knocked down or refurbished soon. This made me eager to photograph the site before it is no longer.
The first correspondence on the land registry dates back to 1932.
I was able to find was an old picture from the BLM Car Sales Nottingham website, dated 2005.
You can see cars for sale on the forecourt. The cars seem old fashioned, but not even as old fashioned as the building itself. You can see here that very little has changed from this 2005 picture to nearly 20 years on in 2024.
I decided that this would be the perfect site for my signs. Representing literally the theme of abandonment I have been focusing on. My plan is to take my signage to this site and photograph it there - it's aesthetic being the opposite of my kitsch, flamboyant, garish signage.
I plan to display these photographs alongside my final piece in our exhibition.
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