Look at some more images from this series on the artist’s website.
How do Pickering’s images make you feel?
Is Public Order an effective use of documentary or is it misleading?
Make some notes in your learning log.
Sarah Pickering’s series called Public Order has a variety of images containing empty streets. However, something seems “off” when viewing the images. There are no people, no litter, everything seems untouched. These images make me feel uneasy as if something has happened in the locations of the photographs.
As I carry on looking through the images I get a sense of attacks or protests gone wrong, especially the image below, containing a pile of wood and tyres. This makes me think of someone barricading this area to prevent people coming through.
The streets have a sense of abandonment, a sense of afterlife. Although there is a strong sense of uneasiness, the images seem quiet, it feels like an aftermath of a disaster occurring.
Later in the series I am met with confusion. There are images of the front of houses with nothing behind them. This makes me feel as though the images are taken on a set, maybe part of a movie?
It is difficult to understand the context of Pickering’s images without knowing the intent of the narrative.
Sarah Pickering photographed police training grounds. These consists of towns specifically set up for the practice of real life emergencies. Knowing this, the images make more sense. However, my feelings of uneasiness has not lifted as it may have for some. This is because it has got me thinking of why do they need to be prepared to this extent? This makes me feel slightly on edge.
I believe this is misleading. As I have said previously without knowing Pickering’s intent I would have not known what the story was. If the images conveyed the police training grounds further then maybe it would be more of a documentary, such as, capturing the emergency services partaking in training practise.
Bibliography
https://www.sarahpickering.co.uk/works/public-order/ [Accessed 06/05/2020]
Amianne Riggott OCA Blog 