Final Evaluation and Next Steps

Overall I am happy that I my images reflect the main ideas behind my project. The images show the change in purpose of these mental institutions but some are still in use and how the main structure of the hospitals are still there without need for demolition. I think that these are stronger images as the focus is on the buildings that stand out against a plain background. I have learnt more about these places which has lead me to interesting places that I hadn't been to before creating new opportunities to keep the project going.

If I were to do this project again I would explore a wider range of areas as I want to continue taking pictures of these places to make a strong series. I would also research into different artists to get a better understanding of what is out there in regards to what artists work is similar to mine so that I am able to get recent inspiration to make my work more current and contemporary. Planning out where I want to go in advance is also important as I will have more time at the places and I will be able to do more research.

I will now be focusing on getting my work seen by people that are interested in my images and continuing my volunteer work with the National Trust. I will be attending the private view of the White Horse Hill exhibition in Plymouth Museum and Art Gallery that is happening in September, which will be help me to network and gain some interest which can lead to work as I am interested in working with the museum. I will also continue to look for photography jobs in Cornwall so that I am still able to take images.

Mark Power

Mark Power's work consists of strong elements that draw the viewer into his images. The main focus changes from a set of buildings to a barren wasteland highlighting the change in landscape and how man has affected it. In his series 26 different endings, there is a variation of subject matter that are linked together through a similar theme. The images appear slightly dead pan that emphasizes the lack of human presence, although it is clear that people are in that environment as they have left traces behind in the form of cars, rubbish and graffitti.

148 South, 26 Different Endings, Mark Power

 In this image the eye follows the road from the bottom of the image up through to the top where the houses and sky appear. There is a lack in colour that draws attention to the mundane and emphasizes the emptiness of the houses. Although there aren't any people in the shot there is still a human presence as there is a car just visible near the top of the image and the foliage has been well kept showing that people have been here. Having the sky as a neutral colour keeps the focus on the houses and the feeling of calm as there isn't any movement in the image, it could have been taken during the middle of the day whilst people are working to draw attention to how empty places like these can be.

 6 North, 26 different endings, Mark Power

Unlike the previous image, not all of the buildings appear to be lived in as the house at the back seems to be boarded up. The viewer is led through the image by the road in the center of the image, that is emphasized by the red sign above the road. The red and orange signs are the brightest part of the image that draw attention to how dead pan the buildings are as they are all the same and are rather dull. This image focuses on the mundane of housing estates and how they all look the same as the next one. Keeping the theme of a neutral sky draws the focus to the main subject of the houses.

Devington Park - Devon County Lunatic Asylum

The Devon County Lunatic Asylum was first opened in July 1845 with the architect Charles Fowler who had created such places as Covent Garden market. His design was that of the Radial design with the main administration building being the center piece and several wards radiating outwards that patients would've lived in. It was built in 1842 and completed in 1845, it was also based on the model of Pentonville Prison.

Engraving of Devon County Pauper Lunatic Asylum 1845

John Charles Bucknill was the first medical superintendent in which he campaigned to have people who were mentally in transferred into his institution. He also made publications to expose the abuse of unstable relatives that was inflicted on them from their families. Elderly people who were deemed unwell were sent to the 'asylum' and arrived in extremely poor conditions, some didn't need psychiatric treatment but Bucknill refused to send them back. In 1862 Charles Bucknill left the institute and was replaced by Symes Saunders where the institution began to go down hill. There began to be severe over-crowding in 1864, which lead to several patients being turned away in 1870 until vacancies could be made and admission decisions becoming more biased towards recovery. The number of patients remaining in treatment at the end of each year was around 590 in the 1860s which had risen to over 800 in the 1880s that contributed to the over-crowding.

John Charles Bucknill

It's first peak of patients was in 1915 at 1,421 but the population eased slightly in the next 7 years before growing again from 1923. In 1929 the Devon County Lunatic Asylum became Devon Mental Hospital, with a separate sanatorium being built in 1877 and further extensions in 1906. The patient numbers peaked again in 1951 with over 1,500 patients under treatment in the hospital there were still issues with over-crowding a there had been no further extensions since 1906. In 1961 the hospital had changed names again to become Exe Vale Hospital (Exminster Branch) to be combined with Digby Hospital and Wonford House, the hospital was also expected to half its beds by 1975. It then became Exminster hospital in 1981 with it being sold in the late 1980s to be closed in 1985. The roofs of the main wards were striped with the site being turned into housing bringing it into the present day and Devington Park.

Adminstrative Building, Devington Park, Exminster, Exeter

Working in the Records Office

Doing picture research for Fotonow, I was shown around the records office on my first day there and was allowed into the archives themselves which the general public aren't allowed into normally. I was told how to look up items that would be of interest to me and that if I wanted to I could take photos of said items as long as they weren't copyrighted. In the archives there is everything from Royal seals to photographs and emergency committee minutes, I chose to start my research by looking at photos of the Pannier Market when it was first being built in 1959.

After looking through the photo album on my next day I decided to look at another album but this one was from 1859 which I thought was interesting to see how the city has changed over time. One of the images that stood out most was that of the rail bridge from Plymouth to Saltash, as the Tamar Bridge hadn't been built yet. It was also interesting to see how some of the city had hardly changed at all apart from a few new shops or buildings. The next items that I looked at on my next day in the archives were plans of the Pannier Market and some of the original market showing the war damage which ultimately lead to the build of the Pannier Market. These were intriguing as they had several family names written on them which may still be linked to the market or be trading in the market itself.

The following two days after I decided to read the emergency minutes, as there was a lot to get through it took me longer than I thought and most of what I read was irrelevant apart from the names of the committee and the people assigned to re-building the market. Although it was very interesting to see how the city coped with the war, I found parts tedious and hard to get through, but manged to read all of it and am happy that I kept at it. On the next day that I was in the archives I took pictures if the first photo album that I looked at for Fotonow to see and I found out that day that plans of the Pannier Market had been donated which lead me to looking at those the day after. Once I had had good look at the plans I took photos of them the day after, as there was a lot to go through and some of the plans were very large and some were only A4 size. On my second to last day I took pictures of the photo album from 1859 as I wasn't able to take photos when I first looked at it and wanted to focus on taking the images in to see what was relevant and what wasn't. With regards to my final day, I looked at newspaper cuttings that were related to Plymouth and took photos of the ones that were about the market, focusing on the years 1957-1961. Through this I was able to get a large amount of research that will hopefully help Fotonow in their project.

Working with Fotonow

After looking into different places I could find possible work and speaking to lecturers for help, I decided to contact Fotonow. Seeing as I find it hard to contact new people and sometimes struggle with communication around new people I wanted to work on that which lead me to Fotonow. I was interested in their community projects which works with a variety of different people and is a non-profit organisation that focus on visual arts.

Once I had got in contact with them and organised a meeting, we discussed what I was able to do and current projects that they were working on. This lead to me being informed about the project that they are working on which is about the Pannier market and the people who work there. I was given the task of doing picture research for Fotonow which includes looking at photos of when the market was first built and it being built. Plans of the market, possible plans of the original market that was where Drake's Circus is now but was bombed in the Second World War which lead to the building of the Pannier market.

I am currently working in the records office doing picture research for the Pannier market project which I have found very interesting looking at the old documents and photographs of when it was first built and earlier photographs to make a comparison to see that the building itself hasn't changed, but the shops and people have. When I am in the records office again I will be looking at the plans of the market and possible images of the original market if there are any. I will also be reading the emergency minutes to find out more information on the original market and to see if there are any minutes that mention the current Pannier market.