Better Never Than Late!: BRENTFORD BLOCKS

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Tuesday 3 November 2009

BRENTFORD BLOCKS

31 comments:

sign here ............................... said...: You managed to make these blocks look slightly more attractive then they actually are. When in fact they are butters like the girl in the last picture. Good set.

AND.YET.YOU.DENY; 03/11/2009, 22:22
Rafael said...: That's the thing.
They are wicked photos, super nice. But why the whole romanticisation of estates? They are fucking shiiiiit to live in.
I've had enough of my girl getting fireworks thrown at her by lil cunt youts and the upstairs neighbours threatening to kill each other at six in the morning.
Pictures are real nice but the subject is too easy. My random two cents.; 04/11/2009, 00:00
The Colour Technician said...: Ahhh so this is what you've been doing today...
Hmmm I think it's time to give the estate blocks a rest for awhile. A serious drive is definitely needed!
If you want to stick to your grimey estate feel, how about taking pictures of actual living habitants on these estates? Prob would be a good outcome! Alright pictures though! x; 04/11/2009, 00:26
Matthew Schnickens said...: Already done that, see most of the grime portraiture I've done.

Rafael - It's not romanticising, more of a documentation of London. I think for the most part estates are seen as an eyesore but they were built for functionality years ago and kind of seem surplus to requirements. Aesthetically they are quite appealing, like the symmetry/repetition.

The main fascination is scale and domination of the London sky, I've got quite alot of pictures of other big infrastructure around the city, such as tate modern, the london eye and canary wharf.

Another thing is estates like this won't be around forever and will get replaced by modern alternatives, so in however many years people can see how the city has changed.; 04/11/2009, 00:40
AC said...: great response; 04/11/2009, 00:52
Anonymous said...: The last pic is Beautiful.; 04/11/2009, 03:48
Anonymous said...: these blocks house more than grime mc's; 04/11/2009, 09:14
Rafael said...: Yeah, i agree, it was a good response, but equally Anonymous 9.14's was equally good.
There are plenty of people living in these places apart from the people you've been shooting, and although young creative youth are as good a theme to photo as anything else, grime portraiture does not represent what the estates are. Whatever though really, I'm not saying that you were intending to create a documentation of the people living there.
But, even if you say its not intentionally romanticising, just by having beautiful sunlit, light and shadow photos, they become a romanticisation. Making something intrinsically violent (i.e. the space of the estate, and i don't mean violent as in a smack in the teeth) into something beautiful hides a lot of the issues at stake. As in the smell of piss, the lack of cohesion, the absolute failure of their construction.
Aesthetically appealing? Definitely powerful. And good to shoot. But, being that you are taking some fucking nice shots, i'd like to see more than a purely aesthetic angle. If you want to do something rather than just take nice pics, make it say something.
Not sure why I'm getting involved in a debate here but there you go...; 04/11/2009, 12:14
Matthew Schnickens said...: To be fair, it was a purely recreational endeavour. I walked from Acton Town through Gunnersbury Park all the way to South Ealing, and just took pictures on the walk, more of a 'what I saw today post' rather than a deep insight into the area. So an aesthetic element is a simple enough reason to take a picture, I do understand what you're saying though.

As for the light, it was natural, so if anything sun naturally romanticises the place and I just happened to be there to take a picture. Don't you appreciate the irony/juxtaposition of estates looking picturesque?; 04/11/2009, 13:00
Anonymous said...: really nice photos matt.; 04/11/2009, 13:50
Anonymous said...: it's a tired juxtaposition; 04/11/2009, 14:06
Jeff said...: 14:06 speaks the truth. Every photography student with a Pentax ME and a pack of FP comes up with stuff like this on a daily basis. At least it's a step up from "the boys sitting around smoking".; 04/11/2009, 14:44
Matthew Schnickens said...: Well, like I said, only done in passing. Wasn't intended to be ground-breaking.; 04/11/2009, 15:36
Rafael said...: Bit harsh lads. The photos are super nice in my opinion. But still i'm down with the tired juxtaposition line. It is easy to make them look nice but isn't that just one of the negative aspect of aesthetics.
I saw in show in La Palma recently which was photos from extreme places, Iraq, North Korea, Chechniya. They were fucking beautiful. Tragic. Amazing.
And it pissed me off because i don't want to see a picture of a soldier with his arm blown off and think that looks beautiful. Or a crying woman and think what a shot.
That's just the aestheticisation of politics. Which is fucking dangerous.
Not meaning to draw comparisons with what you were doing, you were just taking shots on your way home, but just saying.; 04/11/2009, 16:24
Anonymous said...: 'Don't you appreciate the irony/juxtaposition of estates looking picturesque?'

i think your the one who doesn't understand. Romanticising the poor has always been a pastime of the rich. come walk in my shoes and on my block and see if you still wanna take these waste photos.; 04/11/2009, 16:31
Anonymous said...: THE BNTL "LADS" ARE ALL PUSSY LITTLE RICH KIDS WHO SHOULD GO LIVE ON ONE OF THESE ESTATES IF THEY LIKE TAKING PICTURES OF THEM SO MUCH

PIX ARE RINSED BOLLOCKS..EVERY FLICKR ACCOUNT ON THE INTERNET BY A RICH KID IS FULL OF THESE TYPE OF PICTURES; 04/11/2009, 16:38
Naddy said...: I don't understand why you think photos of estates have to be ugly. Is it unethical to depict sunlit high rises simply because your girl gets fireworks thrown at her?

James Pearson-Howes has done all that documenting the the people who live on estates. Yes it's insightful, moving and all the rest - but is it really saying something? And to whom? Are the right people, the people that can make some sort of difference even listening/looking?

I live on an estate and I'd rather not see more photos of pissy, claustrophobia-inducing lifts! So Matt's photos are nice viewing for me. And it's not escapism, I think it's just a bit insensitive to photograph those sorts of conditions for no good reason.; 04/11/2009, 16:46
Rafael said...: Naddy.

I'm not saying that ever taking pics of estates looking 'pretty' is unethical. What i am saying is that showing that side ONLY misses out on the fact that people are actually living in those places, and that's a story which i think is more interesting.

Its not about my girl getting fireworks thrown at her (I'm not even gonna start about all the other shit, that was just the first example of the top of the dome). Its about the whole fucking way estates work. Separation from the outside world, inward looking, impossibility of escape, the exact opposite conditions that these "communities in the sky" were supposed to be resolving.

I totally agree about the 'right people' looking at the pics though. You can write a fucking thesis or produce a book of photos about this shit and people will murmur bollocks and nothing will be done. The authors will just use it as there way of getting a rep for focussing on a tough subject.

These places can look beautiful, and at times amazing things can come out of them. No doubt. But there whole construction is pretty much based on one premise. To keep people in their place, and to stop them from getting out.; 04/11/2009, 17:20
Matthew Schnickens said...: Yeah I'll walk on your block anon, where is it?

As for the other anon, it's alright man, everything is gonna be fine.; 04/11/2009, 17:20
Anonymous said...: I can understand the fact that people don't like the way these photo's are "romanticized" and don't represent the "gritty" life on an estate, but you have to be able to look at them in a different way, as purely a documentation of the architecture and the surroundings without delving into the stories behind them. In photo's like these you can appreciate the architectural beauty of these buildings. I understand what the person who mentioned "Romanticising the poor has always been a pastime of the rich" is saying, as yes, it does happen a lot,however I think these pictures were not trying to make a statement about the people who lived in these buildings but instead to document just the aesthetic aspect.

I'm bored seeing pictures of little youts sitting around estates trying to look like big men anyway.; 04/11/2009, 17:23
Anonymous said...: THEY ARE JUST PHOTOS THAT THE GUY TOOK IN DAY TO DAY LIFE.

THIS ISNT AN ART PROJECT, THERES NO DEEPER MEANING, JUST PHOTOS.

COME OFF YOUR HYPE AND STOP OVER ANALYSING.; 04/11/2009, 18:18
Vent Fury said...: Too Deep!; 04/11/2009, 18:44
sula bay said...: oh wow
beautiful photos :); 04/11/2009, 21:48
Anonymous said...: Word. Everyone who writes on bntl should contact this guy for an english lesson...

I can understand the fact that people don't like the way these photo's are "romanticized" and don't represent the "gritty" life on an estate, but you have to be able to look at them in a different way, as purely a documentation of the architecture and the surroundings without delving into the stories behind them. In photo's like these you can appreciate the architectural beauty of these buildings. I understand what the person who mentioned "Romanticising the poor has always been a pastime of the rich" is saying, as yes, it does happen a lot,however I think these pictures were not trying to make a statement about the people who lived in these buildings but instead to document just the aesthetic aspect.

Clock all the commas and that.; 04/11/2009, 22:48
Anonymous said...: jeff you sound like a cock with a name like that. where are your fliks? infact whats your number? beg you drop me it so i can come drop you. cunt.; 05/11/2009, 09:27
Anonymous said...: boring; 05/11/2009, 11:58
Anonymous said...: Tired of this circle of posting pics and getting anons comment negatively. Fair enough the whole tower block thing is played out but jeeze!, give it a rest anons! As for Matt, I think you have enough shots of tower blocks, have you thought of publishing them in some sort of way? And if you have time on your hands you may wanna check out some photography competitions out there!

Propperganda.com; 05/11/2009, 12:56
Anonymous said...: You managed to make these blocks look slightly more attractive then they actually are. When in fact they are butters like the girl in the last picture. Good set.

AND.YET.YOU.DENY

post of the year; 05/11/2009, 20:12
PropperGanda said...: Well done, you know my name, whats yours? I take it, because you know my name, we have met and we are more than just acquaintances.

Kev; 05/11/2009, 21:41
Anonymous said...: ^^homo; 06/11/2009, 17:12
Anonymous said...: really really nice pictures, better than alot of estate pictures. good shots.
all the rest of this commenting is really pointless.; 06/11/2009, 18:12

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