After Stephen Shore I :
“After Stephen Shore” follows in the virtual footsteps of the master photographer on his road trip in search for “Uncommon Places”.
Throughout the 1970s, Stephen Shore travelled the United States and Canada, photographing vernacular landscapes, interiors and other ephemera until he eventually published his series in 1982. Thirty-odd years later I have revisited a number of the same places using his precise captions as a guide. Rather than experiencing my own road trip though, this was done from my home in the UK; Google Street View has allowed me to re-record his landscapes (but not his interiors) as they have appeared more recently as the oldest GSV images here are from within the last 8 years. In comparing them with Shore’s originals, many things are similar, but similarly many things are different.
It is the juxtaposition of these similarities and differences that are interesting to me, and the transitions that have taken place, the ephemerality of the fixed and the passing of time. Clearly an appreciation of Shore’s work is required to fully understand the true meaning of my photographs. In short though, they show what has happened to the place after Stephen Shore.
Original Google Street View imagery, © Google
Rob™, 2015
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“After Stephen Shore” follows in the virtual footsteps of the master photographer on his road trip in search for “Uncommon Places”.
Throughout the 1970s, Stephen Shore travelled the United States and Canada, photographing vernacular landscapes, interiors and other ephemera until he eventually published his series in 1982. Thirty-odd years later I have revisited a number of the same places using his precise captions as a guide. Rather than experiencing my own road trip though, this was done from my home in the UK; Google Street View has allowed me to re-record his landscapes (but not his interiors) as they have appeared more recently as the oldest GSV images here are from within the last 8 years. In comparing them with Shore’s originals, many things are similar, but similarly many things are different.
It is the juxtaposition of these similarities and differences that are interesting to me, and the transitions that have taken place, the ephemerality of the fixed and the passing of time. Clearly an appreciation of Shore’s work is required to fully understand the true meaning of my photographs. In short though, they show what has happened to the place after Stephen Shore.
Original Google Street View imagery, © Google
Rob™, 2015
[back]
