I’ve felt very inspired to get out with my camera and record whatever happens in front of me. Initially, the process was intended to gain photos and/ or video recordings, of various places in London that were returned as answers to my anonymous questionnaire. As my project is beginning to change, I gather footage from a general archiving perspective. I’m interested in playing with blurring out people’s faces, or perhaps a different way of making them unidentifiable. For now I will keep gathering footage from relevant locations, and documenting other things such as overheard conversations, times of day,
St Paul’s Cathedral
One questionnaire response detailed a memory of St Paul’s Cathedral, so on 12th March I went with my camera to capture a few moments there. I haven’t been inside St Paul’s since I was a child, and now at £27 per ticket – I still haven’t been inside since I was a child.
I started taking pictures as I approached the Cathedral, and stopped by an old, red telephone box. It was only once I’d taken a couple of photos that I realised the box had a sign on the door that read “This kiosk is protected for future generations”- above it I noticed a broken window plate, and of course graffiti. The irony of the sign stating that the kiosk has been preserved for generations to come, whilst looking already misused didn’t escape me in the moment and I snapped a well-positioned photo of the phone box with St Paul’s in the background, and a statue of Queen Victoria. The last bit was a surprise to me actually, I hadn’t noticed the statue until I looked back at the photos I was taking.
As I crossed the road to outside the cathedral itself, I crouched to take a few photos with the doors centred, and was joined by a travelling school/ college group who had also spied great symmetry from my location. I got the photo, and got out of the way, slightly – I walked to the left of the entrance and set my camera up to film for a moment, though I managed to get a sneaky picture of the college trip positioned on the large front steps leading to St Paul’s. I wanted to capture a moment of them all cheering as their photo was taken (by someone else) – I wish I had been recording at this moment.
When I did start filming – not much happened, but that seemed quite fitting for outside of a place of worship, even one such a tourist attraction as St Paul’s. I feel a sort of peace walking around the grounds of most religious buildings – though it’s true to say churches and cathedrals have been the ones I’ve frequented most. Though I have been into a Gurdwara, in Goodmayes – on a school trip many moons ago, and to synagogues, usually on holidays whilst exploring historical Jewish areas of various European cities.
I don’t mind when not much happens as I’m filming – when I watch ‘uneventful’ footage back I still find things to focus on, often sounds. At present I am considering how to use audio throughout my FMP – do I use it? Do I keep it true to what’s shown, if I am to use video?
Southbank Beach
This shared memory is one that I was present for, despite it not being the memory I responded to the questionnaire with. I had a bit of an internal battle with whether I should follow through to the exact location I know the memory to have taken place at, or whether to stay quite vague with my placement, as ‘Southbank Beach’ was all that had been stated. Well, I did think about it, and came to the conclusion that if I knew the exact place of all locations shared – I would go to those specific spots, look in the exact direction the person relaying the memory would have been looking, and shoot from their POV. So although I don’t know where each exact location is, and I don’t want to ask for further information from people (I’m having quite a tough time getting responses for my questionnaire as it is), I decided to take as accurate coverage of the memory from that person’s perspective as I could.
Well I did start a bit vague, I suppose – as I was heading toward Southbank Beach, across Blackfriars Bridge – I paused to take some photographs from a distance whilst the tide was out. I did that a few times before I eventually made it over the bridge to the Southbank. I got a few more shots when I was just above the beach, and then found the steps and went down to walk by the water.
It was another moment of stillness, though above I could hear someone shouting vaguely – which I also, accidentally, captured during filming at one point. I think that audio may stay in whatever my final cut of that location is. It was quite jarring in the moment, and definitely sad to hear someone in such distress, just as I was contemplating how lucky I am to live in London, and to experience so much so easily.
Southbank Skate Park
I was really excited to document this questionnaire response – I felt a little nervous to be so obviously recording the skaters, but I got a feeling that most of them were quite happy to show off in front of the camera. After a little while, however, one of the skaters seemed to be standing in front of my camera pretty constantly, which I took as a sign to move on. Perhaps I did spend a little too long gawking at the skaters. I just felt pleased to be there, and intrigued by the shadowed, gathering of people in the centre of the park, mostly smoking, or rolling cigarettes.
I enjoyed capturing the skaters in action with a slower frame rate, as it felt quite eerie, or ghostly in the visual outcome. I liked the bright colours of the graffiti, mixed with the shadows made from the skatepark’s roof and columns. If I go back, I’ll firstly ask if the skaters present mind me photographing them, and then aim to frame as much colour detail as I can perhaps.