Simon Roberts-

Simon Roberts is a british documentary and landscape photographer, his work portrays our relationship to landscape and notions of identity and belonging.  His large format photographs are taken with a lot of technical accuracy and are normally taken from elevated positions, which allows the relationship of individual bodies and groups to the landscape to be easily seen, and repeats the visual language of history painting.

Roberts travelled throughout England August 2007 and September 2008 in a motor home using a large format camera to capture people during normal everyday activities outside, exploring the relationship between people and the places they visit and the notion of what it means to be british. This resulted in the book and exhibition we english. We english exhibition was included in Sean O'Hagans 'The observer critics review in 2011.

Simon Roberts work will real influence my documentary project on Landscape because i like the way he captures the landscapes and the people in it. The most influence work of his would most likely be Pierdom, We english and Urban Parks .

These photographs are from Urban Parks.

Until the mid 1600s urban parks were private; the exclusive domain of wealthy families and royalty. By the mid 1800s urban parks were starting to be seen as a way to serve the public and latter as a remedy to social ills caused by the Industrial Revolution and overcrowding in lower income neighbourhoods. Today urban parks are increasingly being created from reclaimed lands in and around cities. Viewed as essential to the well-being of residents and as an effective way promote economic development, they represent a new imaginative era of experimentation.This photographic narrative offers a timeline of urban parks beginning in 1660, when St. James’s Park in London was made available to the public, up to the present day. It illustrates the evolving nature of urban parks over time and the philosophies behind them, reflecting the cultural history and social values of their origin. 

These photos are from Pierdom. Pierdom show cases different Britain’s pleasure piers across the country, from Brighton to lancashire. The piers were Predominantly constructed during the 19th Century in the context of expanding Victorian seaside resorts and railways, these structures were often erected as landing docks for pleasure steamers and other sea craft. Growing to accommodate the needs of day-trippers engineers began to incorporate bandstands, cafes and music halls into their designs, embracing the growing notion of ‘pleasure seeking’ by the seaside.The British coastline boasted over 100 piers, some modest and functional, others elegant, Now under half remain, the others destroyed by fierce weather and fires, with many dismantled during the 2nd World War to prevent German landings. 

Pierdom addresses the historical significance of these architectural structures placed in comparison with their modern interpretation and functionality. Simon’s large format photographs are taken with great technical precision, often from elevated positions incorporating peripheral details and the elements, therefore enriching the viewing experience of each print. Through formal devices associated with the picturesque; perspective, asymmetry and juxtaposition, the photographs engage us with contemporary issues about our uneasy and fragile relationship to both nature, and our urban environments.