A public space

7th July 2014

In preparation for this exercise, I searched Google looking at how public spaces are used by town councils. This clarified in my mind what a public space was and also gave me an idea of the type of conversation I could have if challenged by anyone.

I found a research paper developed by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (2007) which studied social interaction in urban places.I pulled out pieces which interested me and felt it complemented some of the images I had studied taken in the early days of street photography.

I visited Mansfield as it has a number of parks although was a little apprehensive as I felt last time I took photos in Mansfield that some of the residents were suspicious.

I chose a warm and sunny weekday so I expected people to be sitting in or strolling through parks and gardeners to be working. There was no-one in the first park, despite its proximity to the town centre and local small businesses. In the second park, I found ladies having picnics with pre-school children and workers on lunch breaks. There were a couple of teenagers and a group of very suspicious young men who challenged me. This may have been due to the "no alcohol" policy in the park or because they thought I was taking photographic evidence. (This image is not included on my blog.) My research paid off as I was able to give them a reason for what I was doing which they were happy enough with - and shared a joke. I was not about to cause trouble for them.

At the end of this activity, I was not really that happy with my images. I felt I could have done better and maybe I am not comfortable with a small place where everyone watches everything that is happening. When I compared these with the images to the ones I took in Newark at the beginning of this set of exercises, I felt I had almost taken a step back. I will be redoing exercise for my own personal satisfaction and development. 

Lunchtime Tichfield Park, Mansfield, Notts

 These two ladies were waiting for a friend to join them and eating their lunch at the same time. I like the space as it shows the emptiness of the park. Room for others and as I walked around the park, another lady joined the wall. Taking from the other direction would not have captured the lunch bag

This lady looked engrossed in her book. I liked the glass at the side of her. I thought she probably worked very close to the park.

These teenagers displayed typical behaviour - both lost in their own world and not communicating to each other. As time went on, they became playful and interacted with each other.

Schools out for students taking GCSE and A levels. These 2 girls were entertaining a younger child. I liked the inclusion of the potty. 

This image is not in focus but I liked the pose of the boy - slouched shoulders, headphones and on his phone.

Bibliography

http://www.jrf.org.uk/sites/files/jrf/2017-interactions-public-places.pdf accessed 7/7/14

Angier, R (2007) Train your gaze – a practical and theoretical introduction to portrait photography, AVA publishing, SA

Badger, G (2007) The genius of photography – How photography has changed our lives, Quadrille Publishing Ltd, UK

Cartier Bresson, H (1999) The mind’s eye, Aperture Foundation, New York

Dyer, G (2012) The ongoing moment, Canongate Books ltd, Edinburgh