About the project
In July 2010, I embarked on a road trip across Britain with a pinhole camera fixed in the front of the car. The aim was to document the road ahead while following as closely as possible the line of latitude corresponding to the widest point of the mainland. Each time I crossed the line, a photograph was made, usually with the car still in motion. There are 127 photographs in total, following a line of 51.904 degrees latitude from St David's (Wales) to Harwich (England).
Because of the movement of the car the resultant images (127 in total) are visually similar, with nearly every shot showing the road as a central "A" shape amidst more or less blurred surroundings. Occasionally we stopped at the point of crossing the line - to admire the view or wait for traffic ahead, in which case the image is fixed and quite identifiable.
Why Road Movie?
This project, as exhibited, consists of a series of still images, but it's a "road movie" in more than one sense. Firstly, all of the photographs were made through the windscreen of a moving car. Secondly, there's a sense, when viewing the complete sequence of visually similar images, that they're actually a strip of motion picture film. I mustn't forget to add, of course, that the journey followed a classic "road movie" format...
The title also refers obliquely to the 1941 film "49th parallel", which is set along the Canadian border (49°N). Despite the wartime propaganda element, it's an excellent example of Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger's film making skills, and does give a sense of passing through a landscape even though it's not a road movie as such.
My road trip, following the 52nd parallel took place during the week 19th-24th July 2010, with an extra day "filling in" on 15th September. I'm indebted to my wonderful assistants Ava Truly Scrumptious & Claire Winfield for their documentation skills, navigational aid & moral support. It was fun!
Now shall I continue the line around the globe...?
Exhibited
University Centre Milton Keynes. 25th June - 13th July 2012
The full set of 127 photographs, documentation, plus a 40 minute "behind the scenes" audio journal
exhibition photos
Broomhill Art, Barnstaple. 21st-30th October 2011.
Selected images & documentation.
Photo of MW © Claire Winfield, all other images © Martin Winfield 2011