Phantasmagoria, 2022-Present

There is an estimated 10,000 village halls across the UK, of which around 3,000 have stages. The halls which have stages are the focus of this ongoing work. Stages are often quite spectacular and are the architectural feature of the halls in which they are situated, fluctuating between minimal and subtle to flamboyant and eccentric. The history of village halls starts shortly after the end of the First World War, when there was national drive to establish educational and social provisions in rural areas; instigated by the newly formed National Council of Social Service (NCSS), which would become ACRE (formed in 1986). A large amount of halls are war “memorials” for WWI service members who were killed in action. Photography is a language that communicates through its visuality, which allows the viewer to gaze into the past as they experience these unusual and overlooked architectural monuments. These stages significance will be superficial to some and nostalgic to others, but their recognisability and familiarity are undeniable. The aim of this series is to address photographic representations of emptiness, separation and remoteness (both literal and figurative) and to further examine the real and imaginary aspects of these places; and to evoke new ways of understanding these stages as a reflection of the people who inhabit these hallowed halls through generations,