OST: Architecture Conflict Occupation
“Today I took the short cut. Yesterday I found a low point in the wall opposite the new Deutche Post Depot. There was still a considerable drop on the far side. Sitting on the edge of the wall I gave a quick glance up and down the road to make sure I wasn’t being watched I lowered myself down and hit the ground heavily. The little path took me down the steep banking towards the railway bridge. The bridge itself had long since been out of use and many of its rusty beams and planks had fallen into the river below. I carefully stepped between the planks, testing each one before committing myself standing on it with my full weight. Beyond, the railway line gently curved off into the distance and vanished between the towering grey buildings that had once been a chemical plant. Entering the building I retrieved my drawing that I had hid the night before and laid it out on the dusty floor, placing shattered bricks at each corner. I knelt down, to inspect yesterday’s work, “lots to do, it’s a big sheet of paper, too big? No I have done it before, I just need time”
Ian Cale, diary entry 12th April 2013
The production of large scale observation drawings force me to engage with the subject on a deeper level than photography alone. Its important to me that they are made on location and often take 3 or more days to complete. It’s a very physical process, more often than not the paper is laid out directly onto the floor, weighed down at each corner. Soft graphite is pushed into the surface of the paper, is cut back through with an eraser and then re-drawn. Over and over until the drawing starts to reveal a truth and a depth of surface. The final drawings often contain evidence of false starts and mistakes.
Ian Cale, diary entry 12th April 2013
The production of large scale observation drawings force me to engage with the subject on a deeper level than photography alone. Its important to me that they are made on location and often take 3 or more days to complete. It’s a very physical process, more often than not the paper is laid out directly onto the floor, weighed down at each corner. Soft graphite is pushed into the surface of the paper, is cut back through with an eraser and then re-drawn. Over and over until the drawing starts to reveal a truth and a depth of surface. The final drawings often contain evidence of false starts and mistakes.