Studio visits possible by appointment.
Around the time of the last Economic Crash I became fascinated and horrified by the number of retail businesses in particular that were failing. One day the door would close and not open and mail would start to gather inside the door; dust and insects build up and pot plants die. In some the interior and even the stock was left for some time, in others the place would be stripped overnight leaving ghostly shadows on the floor of the paths of customers and layouts of counters. They reminded me very much of stage sets; which I also find fascinating. I think it may be the thin veneer of a ‘reality’, and that you get to step behind it.
Walking ‘behind the scenes’ in a large store once I was struck that the shiny surfaces and bright lights gave way to grim corridors and concrete blocks walls.
There was something shocking and very sad about them and the lost jobs and careers. I photographed many from outside and struggled often with reflections in the windows. One day, using a polarising filter to control the reflections, I realised that the simultaneous view of the frozen decaying interiors and the bustling street outside was the real picture and Ghost Shops was born.