The notion of space is transparent, that is it encompasses us yet also allows us the freedom we desire. The behaviours which stem from spatial awareness can be seen everywhere in the modern city, we are psychologically directed towards our own path and also the ones drawn out for us. The architect has ultimate power in that they can influence how we use our space. Buildings form physical barriers for our path through the city, they dictate the space around them, whether high up in the sky or on ground level, yet in addition desirable buildings may influence our desire to explore in and around. Whilst the city offers only a formal code of conduct, permitting what would be conceived a normal manner of passive reflection, what lies beneath our exterior behaviour is interaction with our surroundings on many different levels.
Photographing various iconic buildings in Manchester I was able to focus on the ways in which space around such architecture becomes as important as the structures themselves. Buildings signify permanence, designed emblems of our cultural identity which embody both past and present and suggest what might be in the future. Whilst a lot of photography dwells in the past, by its very nature being a documenting and reflective media, I chose to make my pictures echo a theme that will always be current and relevant. The space has always been there in its different forms nevertheless how it is used revolutionises with the development of modern architecture.
The aim was to translate the scenes within a division of two roles, to see the buildings as an architect would upon designing them and to observe the people and space the way a poet might upon writing about them. The amalgamation is simply a straight, yet acute observation of the external energy a building may encapsulate.
