Friday 9 January 2009

Suburban sundown - Tolworth Station! - # 09/06

I'm not sure where this is going to end up, or where it will pass through on the way. It's about London's "suburbia" and how the great boom of the 1930's has morphed it's way into the 21st century. I suspect that occasionally it might be a bit "dark", sometimes rather bland (what suburbia isn't?) but I will attempt to make it photographically palatable. I might even become so depressed that I can't bear to continue it. Then again, I might become inspired and find the strength to go on for a week or two. We'll see.

Tolworth railway station is a concrete Bauhaus/Art Deco-ish creation thrown up alongside the new Kingston bypass to serve a vaste new suburbia that mushroomed from zero in the 1930s. When new it probably looked quite stylish. It was simple and relatively cheap to build. It probably had in mind the same future vision of the Autobahn age that was also dawning in Germany. Today......it's definitely "sundown style". Too much Auto and not enough Bahn.

8 comments:

  1. It's functional to say the least ...

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  2. Modern life. Stark, cold emotionless. Having done similar shoots over long periods, they can grind you down.

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  3. Yes, I can't get excited about a railway station like this although I do see the lines and the depth make it a very good photograph. And probably Courbusier fans would like it. I do like though the image of the man - it gives it life.

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  4. Wherever it goes, that's a superb photo in my opinion. Maybe because it's what I like to shoot, but the zooming perspective and the lines are perfect - the curves of the arches echo nicely and the figure - hint of movement - super

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  5. I like it. Something's definitely about to happen.

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  6. I pray you find the strength if this is what we can expect! Is it just me or is that an optical illusion at the very end?? I have studied it at great length. Maybe I just need to up the strength of my reading glasses. Regardless, I like this one a lot. Bring it on.
    V

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  7. Dois je comprendre que tu es déprimé ? Tu ne devrais pas. Prends les photos qui te viennent comme elles te viennent. Tu es en dehors de tout circuit même si tu es un "daily" tu es un homme libre et tout ce qui est important est ton seul plaisir et le partage.

    J'aime beaucoup cette perspective si simple et si pure avec cet homme idéalement placé qui attend, la tête à l'ombre, les pieds au soleil en compagnie de son ombre fidèle.

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  8. The 1930 architecture is not always spontaneously appealing with our today's eyes, although it was very renovating - and sometimes very nice. The thing is that it needs often to be well (and expensively) maintained, repainted...!

    Your photo reflects very well what I believe you wanted to say!

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