Project Proposal: Shirehall Council Offices — A Photographic Portrait

Reimagining Dereliction Through Lens, Light and Perspective

Introduction

This proposal envisions a photographic journey through the Shirehall Council offices in Shrewsbury, which represent history, architecture, and civic purpose. Employing digital, analogue film cameras and a drone the project seeks to document the soul of the building, its intricate details, and its place within the canon of brutalist architecture.

Objectives

• Create a visual record that captures both the grandeur and the subtlety of interior and exterior spaces.
• Illustrate the building’s architectural character, its patterns, and the silence within.
• Through drone photography, capture high level photographs, unavailable with ground mounted cameras.
• Produce a set of images suitable for display in an exhibition that illustrate the beauty of the oft-perceived “ugly” building.

Methodology

• Secure permissions, from the building managers to explore inside and out.
• Wander through corridors and rooms, documenting light, shadow, and story.
• Utilise digital cameras to crystallise precise details and fleeting moments.
• Use film cameras and possibly redscale film to evoke nostalgia
• Edit and arrange the images, creating a story of the building facing dereliction.

Expected Outcomes

• A curated collection of images that invites viewers into a visual narrative of place.
• Resources poised for exhibition, commemoration, and sharing with the local council.
• A lasting archive of images to reflect on once the buildings have been flattened.

Equipment Required

• Medium format film and digital cameras, Holga pinhole camera, DJI Mini 4 Pro, 35mm film camera, full frame digital SLR and mirrorless cameras. Colour & Black and White Film, Redscale Film. Fujifilm Crystal Archive Paper for Darkroom Printing.

Inspirational Artists

• Morley Von Sternberg (Instagram)
• Simon Phipps (Brutal North) (Instagram)
• SpacePlay (Adam Carthy) (Website)
• Elain Harwood (Brutalist Britain) (News Article)
• Michael Revill (The Revillator) (Instagram)
• Maurice Bloomfield (V&A Website)
• Peter Mitchell (Photographers Gallery Website)
• Chris Killip (Website)
• Mark Power (Website)
• Brutalist Architects
  • Denys Lasdun (UEA & National Theatre)
  • Chamberlin, Powell and Bon (Barbican, Uni Of Leeds)
  • Le Corbusier (Dudley Zoo, London Zoo, UN Headquarters)
  • Ralph Crowe (Shrewsbury Shirehall)