Photography of liminal spaces at Calk Abbey: 

Our course went to Calk Abbey for a field trip, and while walking around the main house I decided to use this as an opportunity to get some more primary research and photographs of spaces that are surreal and liminal. This trip turned out to be for more successful that I could have imagined and I was able to get a variety of images that portray this atmosphere perfectly. 

When looking at all of these images together I can see that they work well together, due to all of the photographs being taken from inside the same house each image has this authentic and antique atmosphere to it that correlates well with the others. I am proud of all the images that I took, I think that they work well with my theme and when looking at all of these images a as a body of work I can almost feel the creepiness of the all. There is this odd, liminal atmosphere that runs throughout each image. It feels as if we are getting secret glimpses into the past or another world.

I think that these two images differ from the rest due to them being a bedroom and a study, they are living areas where people would have slept and sat down to work or talk. The curtains were open and so the lighting is bright with the darker, wooden areas such as the cabinets and bookshelves standing out and providing a nice contrast to the lighter wall paper. Obviously, the bedroom has more of a decrepit and run down feel to it than the study, the room has been decommissioned fro many years now and because of this old deer heads and items have just been dumped in the room as a quick place to store them. I think that there is something sad about this bedroom, it has been discarded and forgotten about, the shark antlers seem to contrast and contradict the softness of the mattress and I think that this, even thought it was not the home owners intention, symbolises the loss of youth. Out growing you childhood room and belongings and having them be replaced with clothes, items and hobbies that are considered adult. There is a lot going on in this image, the clutter within the room creates many subject to be seen and focused on as well as creating layers and depth within the photograph. 

In contrast to this, the study has a calmer atmosphere. the lamp is turned on and the yellow tones create a warm and more ground tone within the image. There are many straight and organised lines within this piece, the books have been put on the shelf in a uniform and ordered manner and there is no chaos. When is comes to the colours and tones within the work I think that there seems to be more grounded colours such as brown, red and orange. These colours harmonise well with each other and keep the image balanced. However, the is a nice contrast provided by the pale blue wall paper in the left corner. 

These images work well together because they are all hallways, they seem to lead the viewer in one direction pushing the forwards with no choice to turn around. I think that the second and third images share the most qualities when is comes to the colour scheme. The pale, off white walls contrast with the dark brown wood of the doors, archways and grandfather clock. While these images are void of any people they seem to have either larger objects or open doors to fill some of the space, with the corridors being lit up with both natural light and ceiling lights. However, I think that the first image is different. The walls are far more bare with the paints visibly peeling off. The doors are further in the distance which I think think not only makes the corridor feel longer but adds to think eerie atmosphere. I am reminded of those dreams where your running as fast as you can towards something but it never gets any closer. there are also shadows on the floor and walls, they help to create this depth within the photograph while also invoking this uncanny atmosphere. 

I think that out of all of my photographs these two are my least favourite, I still think that they are successful but I don't think that they draw the same amount of attention and curiosity as the others. I believe that this could be because the images themselves are quite bare in terms of items and subjects and the colours scheme seems to be very minimal without too much contrast. I think that the composition and angle of that the first image has been taken reduces the quality of it. While the room is large and open which creates this vacant atmosphere, as if there is something missing, I think that the pale colours blend to easily into each other and even the brown wooden floor seems doesn't seem to provide much contrast. The second image is better in terms of of shadows and there seems to be more of a contrast where the light is creating bright areas within the work. However, the image seems small and confined and doesn't have the same endless feeling that some of the other photographs do.