BA (Hons) Photography
Lauren Branthwaite
The Diamond Jubilee is a national ‘commercial’ celebration of Queen and country. Merriment and national identity come to mind, when in reality: Queen Elizabeth II may have successfully lasted her 60-year reign but the vast majority of her countries once celebrated industries have not.
Throughout 60 Years in the Making I’ve concentrated on photographing areas of wasteland that were left as a result of industrial decline, paying particular attention to Marchon Chemical Works and Sekers Fabrics, once both successful industries. As British exports become a thing of the past and international imports a thing of the future, the industrialised skylines of the UK have been exchanged for a flat bed of nothingness, both physically and metaphorically.
‘Send Her Victorious’ & ‘Happy and Glorious’ are the most famous lines from the national anthem. By overlaying them upon wasteland images I’ve managed to create a sense of irony, depicting the very opposite.
laurenbranthwaite@me.com
www.laurenbranthwaite.co.uk
Send Her Victorious ©Lauren Branthwaite
God save our gracious queen ©Lauren Branthwaite
Happy and Glorious ©Lauren Branthwaite
Self Portrait ©Lauren Branthwaite
