extra{ordinary}Photographs of Britain by The Caravan Gallery, touring exhibition 2015 - 2016. Venues: Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art, Sunderland; Impressions Gallery, Bradford; Diffusion Festival, Cardiff; Museum of Lancashire, Preston; Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art; Showcase Gallery, Southampton. Is Britain Great? Aspex, Portsmouth & Paul Smith Space, Tokyo;
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extra{ordinary}Photographs of Britain by the Caravan Gallery, The Caravan Gallery, 2015 Is Britain Great?
From the edition of 10. 'Constructed in the 1860s, Brighton's West Pier was described as architect Eugenius Birch's masterpiece, receiving two million visitors a year in its 1920s heyday. Changing...
"Constructed in the 1860s, Brighton's West Pier was described as architect Eugenius Birch's masterpiece, receiving two million visitors a year in its 1920s heyday. Changing leisure patterns and neglect due to financial difficulties led to its closure in 1975. The pier, which was awarded Grade I listed status to prevent its demolition, was bought by The West Pier Trust with a view to restoring it but a catalogue of disasters ensued. Storms and fires which led to structural damages, the lack of financial support and competition from neighbouring Palace Pier led to its demise. This photo, taken three days after the pier caught fire in March 2003, shows a precariously tilting structure on top of long since demolished legs. There was a palpable feeling of sadness and dismay on Brighton beach that day as people gathered to inspect the latest damage. The colourful bunch of balloons in the foreground seems to symbolise that life goes on all around in spite of disaster."