"TRACES - Alleyways & Spandrels" new website

Well, I finally got around to putting together a selection of work from the first phase of my current project TRACES - Alleyways and Spandrels

There is a small text section as well here

"The principle of exchange states that every contact leaves a trace – that with contact between two things there will be an exchange. I see this as being not only the exchange that takes place between inhabitant and place, but also between photographer and place – the trace of light on film – an exchange...

...Over time in a new city, trying slowly to make sense of it, I eventually became aware of the suburban alleyways (this city has almost 1300km of alleys), seeing them as being un-regarded or hidden routes and pathways through the city. Essentially unnoticed and much of the time un-peopled. Yet full of the evidence of people. Things left over. Things to be discarded. Things waiting to be used. A different viewpoint on peoples lives. Back yards often seem less regarded than front gardens (though not always). Back gardens are frequently more “relaxed”, off-guard, and by the time the alley is reached, it is dustbins and recycling boxes and left over bricks and spare siding. Though every now and then this is punctuated by a garden of beauty and pride..." more

I still feel like there's more I want to do on this project as the summer progresses through into autumn, but I'll have less time for that... and I also want to work on the second main aspect of it, which is the "bethicketted" wild places and routes within the city. We've got over 1100km of alleyways and 7,400 hectares of green-space (Central Park is only 340) - so there's plenty to keep me going.

It's still a bit rough and I'm sure there are all sorts of typos in there too. But I really wanted to get it up and out there (one of these days I'm actually going to have to pay someone to make me a real website... my favourites are always the simplest, but it seems hard to find someone to do those well - dosh aside).

Website location is http://www.timatherton.com/ (same as link above). It uses a small amount of flash, but not objectionably so imo. If you don't have flash it has a sort of clunky html version.

(and finally, many thanks to Struan Gray for the idea of spandrels)