The Spirit of the Place – a photo essay
In every village, town and city, there is a place that draws people to it. A place where life seems to follow the same cycle, even as people and times change. Over the years, it has accumulated emotions, events, customs, knowledge and stories.
We produce a photographic reportage by capturing a place of significance to the local community over three days at different times. The location may be anything from a cultural heritage site to a corner of a shopping centre, but it must be imbued with history and memories of people’s lives. The location is selected in collaboration with the local authority or other client. In addition to photographs, we capture the spirit of the place by recording its soundscape and collecting related stories from local people. We meet people whilst on site, but we can also organise separate reminiscence sessions, for example at the client’s premises, at their services or during events. All reminiscences are recorded so that they can be used as audio as well as text.
A narrative is compiled for the exhibition, comprising 8–15 photographs (overviews of the location, details and images of people from both close up and a distance, in a street photography style) and 4–8 recollections. The photographs range in size from A5 to A2, and the texts are also printed in poster size. Some of the memories are recounted by the people featured in the photographs, whilst others have been collected from others. The work also includes a soundscape recorded on site. The whole piece conveys the character of the place, both now and in the past. At the same time, it tells of the local people and their customs, as well as everyday cultural traditions.
The client receives the physical prints for their own exclusive use, so they can, for example, create a permanent exhibition or use them in any other way the client wishes.
We produce a photographic reportage by capturing a place of significance to the local community over three days at different times. The location may be anything from a cultural heritage site to a corner of a shopping centre, but it must be imbued with history and memories of people’s lives. The location is selected in collaboration with the local authority or other client. In addition to photographs, we capture the spirit of the place by recording its soundscape and collecting related stories from local people. We meet people whilst on site, but we can also organise separate reminiscence sessions, for example at the client’s premises, at their services or during events. All reminiscences are recorded so that they can be used as audio as well as text.
A narrative is compiled for the exhibition, comprising 8–15 photographs (overviews of the location, details and images of people from both close up and a distance, in a street photography style) and 4–8 recollections. The photographs range in size from A5 to A2, and the texts are also printed in poster size. Some of the memories are recounted by the people featured in the photographs, whilst others have been collected from others. The work also includes a soundscape recorded on site. The whole piece conveys the character of the place, both now and in the past. At the same time, it tells of the local people and their customs, as well as everyday cultural traditions.
The client receives the physical prints for their own exclusive use, so they can, for example, create a permanent exhibition or use them in any other way the client wishes.
