Tales from the Edge

Edges Found is a series of book and single image narratives based inspired by detail photographs of found textures around Aldeburgh in Suffolk.

The name “Aldeburgh” derives from the Old English ald (old) and burgh (fortification), although this structure, along with much of the Tudor town, has now been lost to the sea. In the 16th century, Aldeburgh was a leading port and had a flourishing shipbuilding industry. Aldeburgh’s importance as a port declined as the River Alde silted up and larger ships could no longer berth. It survived mainly on fishing until the 19th century, when it also became a seaside resort. As a popular tourist town it has a thriving artistic as well as festival tradition on which some of my work draws.

Aldeburgh is currently ‘on the edge’ in a number of ways:

– geographically it is extremely vulnerable to encroachment of the sea. Half the land originally occupied by Aldeburgh in the middle ages has now disappeared through both gradual erosion and storm disasters. The sea is currently held at bay with barriers and groynes, but the area is threatened in the longer term by global warming.

– to the North the skyline is dominated by Sizewell nuclear power station – with periodic leaks though none so far serious. The current strategic government focus on nuclear energy and likely development of the new nuclear power station at Sizewell C will lead to profound ecological and economic changes.

‘Rust Poems: Erasures for the 21st Century’ are a series of erasure poems suggested by found images in a rusty tractor on Aldeburgh beach.

‘A Mermaid’s Tale’ is an imaginary narrative about gender violence and mythologies based very loosely on re-reading of local folk tales about mermaids, wild men and sea monsters. Inspired by iPad photographs of found images in wooden boards by the fishing boats along the beach.

‘Moot Histories: Aldeburgh written in stone’ is a series of semi-factual historical vignettes, based loosely on historical ‘facts’, based on imaginary scenes from iPad photographs of found images in the flint stonework of the Moot Hall, now a museum.’

‘Aldeburgh Edgescapes’: Photography and photo screen prints of Aldeburgh seascapes, people and urban landscapes showing the continually changing economic, social and environmental context.

‘Aldeburgh Edgescapes’ is in the process of further development for ‘Shingle’ a joint exhibition of photography and artwork with painter Howard Andrews in Aldeburgh Ballroom Arts Gallery, May 2023. The books and images presented here are still ongoing projects for which the final text still needs to be finalised building on input from people in Aldeburgh and elsewhere 2023-2024.

Shingle Street is a small remote coastal hamlet at the mouth of Orford Ness, connected via Hollesley village situated between the ancient town of Orford and the small manor town of Bawdsey.

Shingle Street itself consists of a row of cottages of varying age in a minimalist and haunting shingle landscape. It was established as a community of fishing families and river pilots for the River Ore in the early 19th century. The four Martello towers south of Shingle Street were built in 1808-1809. Coastguard cottages at the North end of the beach housed coastguards who worked as pilots, lifeboatmen and excise men to control the smuggling. In the 1930s it became an important place for remote tourism when several of the houses remaining today were built. During World War II this area of the coast was one of the main lines of defence and several buildings were destroyed, including the Lifeboat Inn, the hamlet’s only pub.

Today many of the cottages are picturesque but quite expensive holiday lets. An important feature is the Shell Line artwork created by two friends who visited during recovery from cancer. It has since been continually maintained as a prominent local landmark. The settlement has also inspired music and poetry. There are also a number of historical and environmental books by local people, and a Facebook page for people who visit regularly – discussing issue like fishing, local developments etc.

The settlement is part of a very fragile and unique coastal strip. The beach is a designated SSI because of its rare vegetated shingle, little terns, saline lagoons and geology. A report from October 2004 suggested that Shingle Street is at risk from the sea and could disappear by 2024 if sea defences are not erected. North Sea windfarms can be seen in the distance on a fine days. Current proposed development of the area around nuclear power at Sizewell and the current Freeport proposals for Felixstowe and Harwich also mean that the whole area will change significantly in the coming years.

My understanding of the place has changed and deepened since my first visit in January 2020 on the eve of Brexit. My first very bleak impressions in my dark mood of post-Brexit alienation from anything English – heightened by the multiple Union Jacks on the deserted brown grey shingle where the only features were the shrivelled pillars of mullein. But on repeat visits at different times of the year I have come to really feel at home in the constantly changing environment where colours change dramatically with the seasons – flower cycles that transform the landscape, bird migrations and bird song and favourite times for colourful kites as holiday-makers join local people. The subsequent Covid-19 pandemic seriously limited my ability to pursue the sort of documentary work around economic and political views of local people – not only for my protection but because many are retired and older than me. But this is an ongoing project and going forward I look forward to developing further work in consultation with people living in the area, as well as other visitors like myself.

Edges Shifting present a subjective creative exploration of the details as well as ‘bigger picture’ issues that have shaped my own shifting feelings about staying as an outsider in a place quite close to home, but so very different.

Cracks in the Edge: a  photobook from from a week stay in one of the holiday cottages along the shingle in the first week of October 2022. I was unable to walk very far because of an ankle and hip problem. This book takes a journey of imagination inspired by abstracted photographs of edges and reflections on objects inside the cottage.

Through the Window Pane: a photobook from the same stay in  the first week of October 2022. This second book documents the ever changing light, weather and views from the window. Contrasting the complete economic and political turmoil in the world beyond the shingle that I watched on the TV screen and reported in the local press.

Shingle Song (forthcoming March 2023): a book of poetry written in and about Shingle Street and illustrated by sketches using tools from the beach and abstract gelli-plate monoprints. Based on sketchbooks, photography, video and notes 2020-2022. To be added to and developed during a further visit to Shingle Street March 2023.

Colours of Shingle: documentary and creative photography from psychogeography photography and video ‘derives’ around Shingle Street 2021-2023.

REFLECTIVE TASK 1: REVIEW YOUR PROJECT PLAN DOCUMENT

REFLECTIVE TASK 2: EXIT STRATEGY

EXERCISE 3.1 CRITIQUE

SYP tutorial end date 9 July 2022

Submission February 2023 for March assessment

The submission was significantly further developed between Assignment 5 and assessment. Please refer to ‘Tales from the Edge’ overview and assessment submission.

Assignment 5 final presentation and marketing process will include all the outputs in various ways to different platforms and physical outlets. It will also include an interactive presentation on my conclusions about visual narrative processes and methods relevant for my own future practice, and that of other people in UK and my international research networks.