These are just a few notes for a blog post which needs to be refined. The past is a foreign country is the title of a book written by David Lowenthal about our attitudes to the past. The title of the book is borrowed from JP Hartley's first lines of The go-between where he writes "the past is a foreign country: they do things differently there".
Our relationship to the past is complex. For one thing we always rewrite it, covertly and not so covertly, to make sense of the present, our present. Thinking of the past is often done with nostalgia and indeed nostalgia has become a real industry, that of historic sites, heritage and its management.
At a personal level we at times insist on wanting to delete the past from our memory, people or experiences we feel have had a painful impact on our lives and whom we want to forget and want others to forget about them. Yet it is not possible to delete anyone from our past or present and attempting to do so leads to further problems. The best thing is to embrace our history and acknowledge it as a part of ourselves, with its positives and negatives.
Derelict buildings have a role to play in our understanding of and relationship with the past. They make us question ideas of permanence and ultimately of what constitutes our heritage.
The images here were all taken at Rougham Hall, a wonderful derelict building near Bury St Edmunds, bombed by the Germans during World War II.
(All photos taken by David J. Green and modelled by Alex B. )
Our relationship to the past is complex. For one thing we always rewrite it, covertly and not so covertly, to make sense of the present, our present. Thinking of the past is often done with nostalgia and indeed nostalgia has become a real industry, that of historic sites, heritage and its management.
At a personal level we at times insist on wanting to delete the past from our memory, people or experiences we feel have had a painful impact on our lives and whom we want to forget and want others to forget about them. Yet it is not possible to delete anyone from our past or present and attempting to do so leads to further problems. The best thing is to embrace our history and acknowledge it as a part of ourselves, with its positives and negatives.
Derelict buildings have a role to play in our understanding of and relationship with the past. They make us question ideas of permanence and ultimately of what constitutes our heritage.
The images here were all taken at Rougham Hall, a wonderful derelict building near Bury St Edmunds, bombed by the Germans during World War II.
Sometimes I look at an abandoned building and wonder what the last thoughts were of the people who once occupied it. I used to live east of the Dixie Square Mall, an abandoned mall in Harvey, IL that was known for being the scene of a car chase in the Blues Brothers movie.
ReplyDeleteI used to want to visit and take pictures there so much. Unfortunately, the town itself is rather crime ridden and the police don't want people going in there for any reason.
I too often wonder what the last thoughts of people who lived in a particular abandoned building were, especially if it is a house or a dwelling of sort. I was lucky enough to have access to West Hill asylum before security stepped up - it is being turned into flats - and I was deeply affected by it and the unhappiness of the former inmate was palpable as I walked around. The above were just some notes, the post needs fleshing out. Good of you to come by and leave a comment.
ReplyDeleteI love the 4th image down (the nude). It possesses a lovely mood and I love the pose.
ReplyDeleteEvery location has a story. I remember working in a California desert among 2 abandoned cars. It always made me think that at one point, someone just decided to get out that car and leave it behind. It really makes you think about who it belonged to and the story behind it.
Thank you for sharing :)
Katy how lovely to hear from you. David thinks you are perfect for Rougham Hall as you have such an Edwardian look. he talked a lot about you during the shoot. So maybe next time you are in England you can do something at RH? Lovely comment, glad you like the nude.
ReplyDeleteThe pictures here are absolutely lovely. I especially like the last two, the one where you're dancing and the half-nude.
ReplyDeleteHow many of these abandoned buildings are there in the UK, and how many of them were specifically WWII casualties? I know about Coventry Cathedral, of course; I've actually been there. (I was 8 and had no idea of the history...) But are there many more?