Globalisation
The small town of La Seyne sur Mer on the French Côte d’Azur used to have a thriving shipping industry. Eastern emerging nations then began to offer cheaper labour, the small industrial town had become a victim of the global economic shift. Today, five decades later, the shipyard is still standing. It is a clear representation of one of the negative, perhaps neglected effects of globalisation. This place was particularly meaningful to me as my great grandfather worked here.
Globalisation is our class' topic for our exhibition at the Peltz Gallery, which part of Birkbeck university of London. When i thought hard about globalisation, these are some of the things i came up with:
Globalisation is our class' topic for our exhibition at the Peltz Gallery, which part of Birkbeck university of London. When i thought hard about globalisation, these are some of the things i came up with:
Globalisation: The process by which businesses or other organisations develop international influence or start operating on an international scale.
"fears about the increasing globalisation of the world economy"
"fears about the increasing globalisation of the world economy"
First development
For my first development, i wanted to focus on the USA and Europe's global influence through big, corporate brands and trans national corporations. I was shooting over the easter holidays when i was in the town of Toulouse in South-Western France. It’s known as La Ville Rose (‘The Pink City’) due to the terra-cotta bricks used in many of its buildings. The ancient city's architecture dates back to the 17th-century. Having known all this ancient history, i would have thought that the city would be well preserved and relatively 'switched off' to globalisation. While part of this is true, i was amazed to find big globally influential brands infiltrating the pretty streets of Toulouse. That really struck me how pretty squares would be ruined by the bright lights of fast fashion brands such as Primark. I then went round the corner and found many more brands on the street level, in particularly Bouygues, which is a french media, communications and transport company which is also seen globally.
When photographing these brands in the midst of the city, I wanted to also capture the surroundings. I used perspective and angles to include the city's traditional architecture. I focused the brands on the bottom left corner.
When photographing these brands in the midst of the city, I wanted to also capture the surroundings. I used perspective and angles to include the city's traditional architecture. I focused the brands on the bottom left corner.
Second Development
After going to Toulouse, I went to the south of France to the Mediterranean coast. I arrived In La Seyne Sur Mer, a small town in the Var region located on the french Côte D'Azur. I frequently visit this town as it is where my mums side of the family is from. I have been conscious of a place the I've always passed when at La Seyne Sur Mer, which is two large and cramped tower blocks for affordable housing. I straight away thought it looked similar to one Andreas Gursky photographed. Below is a map of La Seyne, to give an idea of its location:
Gursky: Paris, Montparnasse 1993
Paris, Montparnasse presents a perspective on the architecture of a block of flats. Gursky has taken many separate shots from two viewpoints. The image also reveals Gursky’s interest in architecture, whether in the built environment or in social contractions. The fact that all the windows have something different about them shows that every single person in the world is living their own different life. From the perspective of someone not in these conditions we look at them as a whole and don't really think about them as individuals. This large and simplistic structure is perhaps a euphemism on the life we all lead, as Gursky puts across his views on capitalist society. This photograph, addresses the problem of the world being overpopulated and issues in population density, resulting in bad conditions. The block of flats' simplicity in structure makes it very effective, and the repetition in the photograph empathises the extent of poor quality of life in the world today.
Paris, Montparnasse presents a perspective on the architecture of a block of flats. Gursky has taken many separate shots from two viewpoints. The image also reveals Gursky’s interest in architecture, whether in the built environment or in social contractions. The fact that all the windows have something different about them shows that every single person in the world is living their own different life. From the perspective of someone not in these conditions we look at them as a whole and don't really think about them as individuals. This large and simplistic structure is perhaps a euphemism on the life we all lead, as Gursky puts across his views on capitalist society. This photograph, addresses the problem of the world being overpopulated and issues in population density, resulting in bad conditions. The block of flats' simplicity in structure makes it very effective, and the repetition in the photograph empathises the extent of poor quality of life in the world today.
My response
The official name for these apartments are "Habitation à loyer Modéré: du pont du las". My great grandma used to call this place "les cages à poules" (translates to chicken cages) because the flats were so tightly packed. It was built in the 1962 when there was a large shortage for affordable housing. The council wanted to build something cheap and quickly so the invested into two large, cramped and isolated tower blocks. At first, 90% of the residents of the tower blocks were of an Algerian or Moroccan background, and were newly arrived immigrants to La Seyne. The Blocks are almost entirerly empty now. This is because Residents have decided that they cannot bear the conditions. These flats and completely isolated, and the rise in crime and antisocial behaviour has influenced this decision.
How does this link to globalisation? Globalisation has accelerated and facilitated for the growth of global flows, including migration. Migration flows have existed for hundreds of years, as people seek for new better life opportunities. These tower blocks were build, for newly arrived immigrants. This tower block would not have been built if it wasn't for globalisation.
When shooting, i wanted to get a perfect front facing view of the tower blocks. There was a hill directly opposite the subject, however it was heavily occupied and urbanised so it was difficult to do so. The two tower blocks are actually right next to a motorway, so i ended up being driven along the motorway in order to capture the building.
How does this link to globalisation? Globalisation has accelerated and facilitated for the growth of global flows, including migration. Migration flows have existed for hundreds of years, as people seek for new better life opportunities. These tower blocks were build, for newly arrived immigrants. This tower block would not have been built if it wasn't for globalisation.
When shooting, i wanted to get a perfect front facing view of the tower blocks. There was a hill directly opposite the subject, however it was heavily occupied and urbanised so it was difficult to do so. The two tower blocks are actually right next to a motorway, so i ended up being driven along the motorway in order to capture the building.
Third Development
I researched these different ideas, as to how i could photograph them and i became particularly interested in the idea of the decline of industry in developed, wealth countries. We experienced this in the north of England in places like Sunderland and Newcastle where there was a wide range of industries including glass making, potteries, limestone quarrying, coal mining and shipbuilding. These industries closed down in the mid to early 20th century because of the economic global shift. These industries relocated to China, Japan, South Korea, India, Bangladesh and India because there was a large labour workforce that was willing to do the labour in the factories the cheaper. This created lots of problems in the developed countries, including unemployment, crime, depopulation and dereliction. I wanted to focus on dereliction.
I was familiar with an old ship yard which i knew existed in a town i am from in the south of France but had never explored. I first asked my grandma about this place and she had informed me that my great, great grandad worked in that very building, working to build massive ships to be sold across the Mediterranean. She told me that this town, La Seyne Sur Mer used to have a thriving ship building industry, which attracted people from the whole of the Mediterranean. It was the whole reason why my ancestors immigrated from Spain, Italy and Corsica to this town, seeking employment. i began to be more and more intrigued. The town owed its importance to the ship building trade, la Société des Forges et Cantiers de la Mediterranée, having here one of the finest shipbuilding yards in Europe (it is a branch of the larger establishment at Marseille), which gave employment to about 3,000 workers.
I was familiar with an old ship yard which i knew existed in a town i am from in the south of France but had never explored. I first asked my grandma about this place and she had informed me that my great, great grandad worked in that very building, working to build massive ships to be sold across the Mediterranean. She told me that this town, La Seyne Sur Mer used to have a thriving ship building industry, which attracted people from the whole of the Mediterranean. It was the whole reason why my ancestors immigrated from Spain, Italy and Corsica to this town, seeking employment. i began to be more and more intrigued. The town owed its importance to the ship building trade, la Société des Forges et Cantiers de la Mediterranée, having here one of the finest shipbuilding yards in Europe (it is a branch of the larger establishment at Marseille), which gave employment to about 3,000 workers.
By the middle of the twentieth century, the industry was no longer thriving. In recent years the town has moved from its traditional industries to tourism. The docks previously used have had extensive work and now comprise a park, marinas and a new (2010) hotel overlooking Toulon and the marinas.
I discovered this document online which is a bibliography of the La seyne shipyards. Right from when the industry was first established to when it was closed down.
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Final response
I was unsure as to how to develop my original images. After a lot of thinking, and researching, i found original documents in the french language of the shipyard's closure. I then wanted to incorporate them in my images, in a way of letting the past showing the future, and the problems a long with it. I used photoshop to extract text from the document and insert it in the windows of each of my images. Only two had windows however, the other two were from my response above.