Final Major Project

Today was the first of our discussions relating to our Final Major Project. We had a Group Tutorial with Louise and we each gave a brief outline of I thoughts and ideas. There were some great ideas around the table, all of them interesting and different. I think this is going to be a very exciting project.

I had initially thought that I would continue with my "Linking the Past with the Present" idea and develop it further. I had enjoyed the previous two assignments and have lots more ideas to develop that came from those projects. However, as we were discussing it, Louise pointed out that it may be difficult to photograph family members and revisit sites of memory, ancestry etc, and that it might be frustrating and stressful for me if I was unable to give the project the time I feel it deserves.

After leaving, I pondered on this all day. I could see that the opinion that Louise had shared with me was valid and one that I could fully understand. I am not in a financial position to be travelling back and forth to Wales, and for the project, it would be very important to photograph my family and spend time interviewing them about their memories several times. I want the project to have depth and be able to continue with a narrative that satisfies me.

With hindsight, I think it would be better to leave that particular project to another time in the future when I can give it my full attention. It may be best suited to my using it as a Personal Project outside of college. The thought has also entered my head that in fact this is a subject that could develop even further. I have many recollections of Village Life in Wales, of growing up in the 1960's and 70's. I have thought that it would be quite interesting to make a Photographic Social History Documentary on village life as I remember it, and of investigating how that village life has changed. My own village of Llanfallteg, in West Wales has changed a great deal since I left in 1978 and surprisingly many aspects are greatly improved. Community life seems to be thriving.There has been an increase in the numbers of houses being built over the past 20 years. I don't see this as completely successful as many of the houses are far too big and dominate the village. Unfortunately people have been able to buy the land at a cheap price and taken advantage by building huge mansion type houses to make a personal profit. I believe that this practise has now been curtailed by the Welsh Councils, thank goodness, and that it is more difficult to apply for planning permission that doesn't comply with certain criteria.

It is sad to me that I would not now be able to afford to move back to the village, and I do wonder how many local people were priced out of the market in the area. When my Dad sold our home n 1989, I think he received £29,000 for it. Now I should imagine that it is probably worth at least a £100,000. but I don't want to think about that because it makes me too sad to think of it not belonging to our family any more. A wrong decision made by all of us at the time.

I have veered off on a tangent.

My intention now is to write about my second idea for the Final Major Project. This past week I have been photographing two Buskers in the City Centre. I've spoken to them and found it interesting that they do not hold out much hope that Busking will continue for long in Plymouth. One of them said to me "If you can conquer Plymouth, you can conquer anywhere in the World" This made me laugh, but he also said that Busking in Plymouth is a dying art. I felt this was a sad statement. It would be a loss to the city I think, if we didn't have our Buskers. After he said this, I did start to wonder about the rarity of the Busker in the City and that although I frequent the city often, I do not hear Buskers more than maybe twice a week.

 

So ... Ive been thinking about this idea. How do I get in touch with the Plymouth Buskers ....I've thought about getting in contact with The Big Issue, to write a small article, or place an advert to ask buskers to contact me if they are interested in allowing me to document their Busking Lives. Or maybe I could send a letter to the Evening Herald (Local Plymouth Paper)? I have the contact details of Al Marconi, the Spanish Guitarist I met in town yesterday so I can email him; but when I met the young singer/guitarist on Wednesday, I wasn't thinking about a project, I just saw him and felt I wanted to take some photos of him to which he gladly agreed.

There is a lot to think about but I am already excited that this project could develop into something that I will enjoy doing. I think the next step is to take some action into getting it off the ground.