My initial reaction to the wording of the exercise was to find an image which contained within it signs of “conflict” – i.e. a potentially idyllic space subverted by the use humans are making of it – this could be one of Martin Parr’s seaside pictures for example, or perhaps more subtly one of Michael Kenna’s images of Northern England.
However the subsequent paragraph suggested that the image should represent an idyllic facade, behind which reality is very different.
Perhaps a good compromise is a tourist office view of St Leonard’s, or to give it its full name St. Leonards-on-Sea. A Victorian resort “created from scratch in 1828” (Brandon, 2009:61), allowing a sense of design absent in some of its neighbours that have developed more organically. The original and longer version of the name advertises its attractions to Victorian daytrippers and weekenders from London, and in fact the image below comes from Sussex Live attempting to do the same thing nearly 200 years later:
Yet behind the elegant (sea) front, “Central St Leonards is the only ward in East Sussex where all four of the LSOAs are among the most deprived decile nationally” (East Sussex Joint Strategic Needs and Assets Assessment). Despite the imagery above, this may not come as a surprise to people familiar with English seaside towns, where the salt in the air seems to degrade not just the buildings and cars but the very fabric of social existence.
In presenting the place to potential tourists, only the positive side is shown. Perspective is used to lead your eye along the beach, past the elegant buildings on the front towards a modern tower development that suggests wealth and success. The sun is of course always shining in this image, the temperature of which is carefully controlled to allow the shingle to appear almost sand-like. The breakers give further structure to the image, perhaps encouraging eye and thence body into the light turquoise sea, although the fact that this structure is designed to combat the problem of littoral drift will be overlooked by most viewer.
This is of course also the point made by Martin Parr in his famous record The Last Resort, taken in New Brighton – both the name of the monograph and the location for the shoot bringing further meaning to the imagery – an attempt to extend the Victorian pleasure spots
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
- Oast House Archives. (s.d). St Leonards Sea Front. At: https://www.sussexlive.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/st-leonards-named-among-best-5818469 (Accessed 3.8.2022)
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- Brandon, B. (2009). The Shaping of the Sussex Landscape. Sussex: Snake River Press
- East Sussex Joint Strategic Needs and Assets Assessment. (s.d.) Indices of Deprivation 2019. At: http://www.eastsussexjsna.org.uk/JsnaSiteAspx/media/jsna-media/documents/localbriefings/ESiF/Indices-of-Deprivation-2019-final.pdf (Accessed 3.8.2022)
Level 3.1 Learning Log 