A la recherche d'un tramway perdu

MA Photography, Falmouth University Illustrated Proposal, December 2021

A la recherche d’un tramways perdu

by Chris Hewitson

Fig 1: Tramways de l‘Aude locomotive no. 16 from Port La Nouvelle arriving in Sigean en route for Lezignan-Corbières c 1920

Project statement A narrow-gauge railway ran through the Aude department of France from 1902 to 1932, opening it up to the outside world and bringing great change.

The ‘Tramways à Vapeur de l’Aude1’ (TVA) retains great affection among the local population. This project seeks to explore the relationship between ‘archives’ and ‘memory of past events preserved in the community’ to convey facets of their affiliation through research and via experimentation with a number of photography approaches.

Fig 2: Map showing full extent of the TVA and its links into the regional and national railway networks. The Corbières lines where I am focusing my research are marked in yellow.

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Tramways à Vapeur: in English – Steam Tram (in this case, a narrow gauge railway). It is the plural form that has entered French vocabulary for both singular and plural forms.

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Contents

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Project statement

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Contents

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The project objectives

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From speculative venture to cultural legacy

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Sources of historical data

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The project’s photography influences

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How I will meet the project objectives

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Two examples of photography experiment I intend pursuing during this project

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Appendix 1: A note regarding memory and photography

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Appendix 2 Collaboration

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Appendix 3a: Concerning the photographs presented in this proposal

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Appendix 3b: Current photography and research

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Appendix 4: Budget, funding and resources

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Appendix 5: Impact Assessment

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Appendix 6: Indicative schedule of key activities over following three modules

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Appendix 7: Picture references

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Appendix 8: References and bibliography

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Appendix 9: Internet site references

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Appendix 10: Further study

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Appendix 11: Assessment of risk

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Contents (Figures)

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Project objectives   

To employ a range of research strategies2 to achieve an understanding of the legacy of the TVA and how and why it attracts the imaginations of people in the Corbières region of the Departement of the Aude; Synthesis of data and experimentation with photography techniques3, to create a coherent body of work that reflects the favoured status that this legacy holds for so many people in the Corbières today; To host a seminar and exhibition of photographs and other materials produced during the lifetime of the project.

Fig 3 Seminar presentation by Chris Hewitson with Ricard Martinez 4

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Including analysis of archival materials, texts & photographs; interviews; group discussion; feedback sessions; desk and online research.

Including stereoscopic 3D; Rephotographing; and combined use of words and pictures.

Photographer, researcher, and founder of Arqueología del Punto de Vista (https://arqueologiadelpuntdevista.org/bio. (also, see references section)

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From speculative venture to cultural bequest Responding to a crisis of agrarian depression in the 1890s, the French government invested in a program of railway expansion (Schwartz et al 2011), including a narrowgauge railway5 constructed across the Departement of the Aude6. Thus, a previously isolated population, accustomed to poverty and a stagnant economy, was linked into the national transport network. Now people could travel, and quickly move goods to market, and alongside the tramways new industries7 were created leading to expansion of the region’s economy. Villagers quickly adjusted to the 20th century, but it wasn’t all miraculous. The tramway also made possible the wine revolt of 1907 (Archives de l’Aude, 2021) and made it easier for the government in Paris to compel young men from ‘le midi8’ to fight in the trenches of the 1914-18 war (Archives de l’Aude ibid).

The TVA has bequeathed a four-pronged legacy: i. history; ii photographs and archive materials; iii memories and stories; and iv physical remnants. The TVA refuses to be forgotten, frequently appearing in exhibitions9 and publications indicating that there is something about the TVA which, long after its demise, attracts people’s attention and affection. It is this relationship between archive and memory of past events preserved in the community that I find so fascinating and seek to explore in the present project (see appendix 1). I hope to capture something of these relationships through research and by experimenting with a range of photography techniques including ‘rephotography’ and ‘stereoscopy’ (see p12).

Fig 4 10 Tramways train on the bridge at Tuchan 5

Known as a ‘tramways’ (sic) See Fig 2 7 Such as mining 8 Le Midi (midday) in France is the south ie where the sun is at its height at noon.

9 Examples of different recent exhibitions about the TVA: www.les-caue-occitanie.fr/exposition/exposition-tramways-vapeur-de-laude www.ladepeche.fr/article/2015/01/31/2040403-exposition-sur-les-tramways-de-l-aude.html www.midilibre.fr/2014/06/25/l-exposition-des-trains-du-passe-a-voir-en-mairie,1014117.php 6

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Further original photographs are in Figure 16, page 34

Fig 5: Map of France showing position of the Department of the Aude (in red)

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Fig 6: Passengers waiting for the TVA outside the railway station, Narbonne , which was one of the two major points where the TVA linked into the national rail network

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Sources of historical data Work of three authors focusing on the TVA are seminal texts for me and I have drawn on each of them while conducting initial research. They will continue to be important as I develop the project: Henri Domengie (1986, A below) added his work on the South-west region to his four-volume treatise on the narrow-gauge railways of the French regions. Domengie’s work focuses on the political and technical aspects of building and running the TVA and its commercial importance, particularly to the many small wine-growers of the Aude, setting it in the context of the other narrow-gauge railways in adjoining departments. This work assists my understanding of the impact of the TVA on the communities it served.

Michel Vieux’s (2011, B below) ‘Tramways à Vapeur de l’Aude’ traces the TVA’s lines across the department, providing detail of stations, personnel, timetables etc drawing upon photographs, original documents, newspaper stories and memorabilia from the time. This book assists me in following the routes of the TVA, understanding how the TVA changed individual lives and the local culture, and identifying its remnants in the countryside, subsumed within new buildings or as open spaces on roadsides.

Roger Farnworth (blog, 2018, C below) has travelled the routes of the tramway and written a detailed account of his findings. As well as using old aerial maps for tracing routes through areas where the lines have been removed, Farnworth has taken many photographs comparing original TVA sites with how they look today. This website has been particularly useful helping me track the routes of the TVA in built-up areas where its traces have disappeared.

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Photography influences Besides being curious about the persistent memory of the TVA in local culture, I am motivated by psychogeographer Papadimitriou’s (2012, D below) theory about places acquiring memory and by Liz Wells’ assertion (Wells, 2019, introduction, E below) that ‘Photographers investigate places, research detail and explore ways of conveying some sense of atmosphere and significance of particular environments11’ which echoes the nub of this project: to convey the mood and significance to people in the Corbières of the of the TVA. In this I am also influenced by the ‘Rephotographing’ work of Martinez (2014) who returns to the original site of old photographs to retake scenes and by Pellerin’s (2021) work on stereoscopy, a format which I will explore to present work for helping create a sense of union between past and present in this project.

In the literature, I perceive a groundswell of interest in abandoned places, including among writers and photographers, but it seems that what fascinates (eg Connolly, 2016, F below) is as much what is left behind as that which has vanished. This is borne out by Hannem (2016, G Below) who encourages people to use photography to explore and reclaim all manner of abandoned sites. Thus, I conjecture that it may be its very abandonment that pulls people towards the TVA which in turn draws me towards psychogeography (eg MacFarlane, 2005, H below) and ‘Rephotography’ (eg Martinez, 2018) as I dig for the essence of the story I seek to tell.

I am cognisant of Jesse Alexander’s (2015, 2020 p81, I below) warning that too open-ended a brief can be problematic and his advice that it is advisable to have a thought-out strategy or direction for a a project so as to avoid making work that is below par. In one example of an apparently open-ended project, Chris Coekin’s ‘The Hitcher’ (2007), Alexander observes that hitchhiking was part of Coekin’s strategy. In a similar way ‘experimentation’ is a key element in my project strategy with all four aspects of the legacy of the TVA as the triggers for making pictures. I believe that the creative opportunities for my project come from the differences in these legacy aspects: old photographs and archive materials, physical vestiges, and people’s stories, plus the interconnections between these that I am confident I will uncover through research.

(For further notes about photographic context see Appendices 1,2 & 3a/b)

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I discuss the issue of photography and memory further in Appendix 1

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How I will meet the project objectives I focus on the former TVA lines in the Corbières region of the departement12, looking at the TVA’s legacy using approaches from anthropology allying them to Papadimitriou’s (ibid) notion of place memory and Wells’(ibid) perception of what photographers investigate. This is a way of working akin to Case Study method (see Appendix 3b) I used for previous research and which I have applied successfully in previous photography projects13.               

Continuously integrate ethical issues14 Integrate collaborative working within strategies, planning and implementation.

Evaluate TVA archive materials including the extensive photographic legacy & specialist publications.

Attend events focused on themes connected with the TVA. Interview and photograph at least one of the remaining people15 who travelled on the TVA. Interview and photograph people who have TVA stories from parents or grandparents & other people I meet during this investigation.

Travel the Corbières lines of the TVA, make pictures and video.

Make photographs as work and as notes/ sketches.

Experiment with images eg ‘Rephotographing’; 3D for stereoscopic16 viewer.

Use social media to connect with others interested in this topic.

Keep a journal of my ideas.

Maintain the CRJ on my website.

Continuous synthesis of data and photographs.

Reappraise the project plan on a regular basis.

Plan and deliver an exhibition and seminar.

Fig 7: timetable for the Ripaud to Tuchan line, c 1921 12

See Fig 2 Examples: La Batida de Jabali, Hewitson, C. 2018, Grisart; La Hectàrea Verde, Hewitson, C. 2021, IEFC (both available on request).

14 Health & safety, assessment of risk, duty of care, permissions forms etc.

15 Bearing in mind that the youngest who might have any direct memories will now be at least 93 years old. The one contact I have identified is 96 and recovering from Covid.

16 With assistance from Fotoboada, c/ Tallers, Barcelona 08001 www.facebook.com/Foto-Boada-136463766507093 13

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Two examples of photography experiment I intend to pursue during this project An important aspect of what I am seeking to do through this project is to link the past with the present, I wish to experiment with different ways of doing this. One way of doing this will be through stereoscopic photography (Pellerin, 2021), printing the resulting photographs in 3D and viewing them through a stereoscopic viewer, particularly an original viewer from the period of the tramways. I hope to purchase a stereo camera and have found a specialist photography shop in Barcelona who can arrange for printing of stereoscopic cards such as the one on the left below. To view the images as a single 3D photograph, a viewer such as the one below right is required. In early 2020 I purchased four such viewers in readiness for another project that was cancelled due to the Covid epidemic. It seems to me that the present project is a good opportunity to experiment with this photography method to make photographs in 2021 to be viewed in the manner of 1921.

A second experiment I shall undertake during the project is that of ‘rephotography’ (Martinez, 2014 ibid & 2018). ‘Rephotography’ can take different forms. Martinez has blownup old photographs and placed these poster-sized images in the physical space of the original scene; he has had an assistant hold an old photograph in exactly the spot where it fits into a modern view and made a photograph of this scene; and he has melded old black and white and new colour photographs together to make an old-new composite photograph. I will experiment with these ideas to see how I might advance my project. Here are examples of Martinez’s work:

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Appendix 1: Note regarding memory and photography With this project, I am attempting to understand how a style of ‘folk memory has arisen over the last ninety years. Very few people remain who have a direct memory of the Tramways à Vapeur de l’Aude (TVA), but many people are the children and grandchildren of people who travelled on the TVA have heard stories about their TVA experiences directly from them, even if those stories have changed in the telling.

In a discussion about the meaning of a photograph, Barthes (2000 pp 76 – 82)) observed that photographs attest to ‘what has been’ but they cannot call up the past even if people tend to ascribe ‘truth’ to photographs. In the present project, I am faced with second hand oral histories and a variety of interpretations of old photographs (of which there are many). However, I am not particularly concerned by this as I am not attempting to produce a definitive history of the TVA. Indeed, what does interest me are the impressions people have of the TVA and what it is about the TVA that fascinates people. I am aware that these features need not have a relationship with ‘truth’ but is likely to be what people have absorbed through stories, how they have interpreted photographs and how they have processed these two features in their own minds.

Another way I have come to consider the relationship between photography and the folk memory of the TVA is through the writing of Siegfried Kracauer (in Farr, 2012) who, comparing memory to photography, posits that while photography creates one fixed moment in time, the memory is not beholden to a particular instant. For Kracauer, photography can capture the physicality of a particular moment, but it removes any depth or emotion that might be associated with the memory so that in essence photography cannot create a memory, but rather, it creates an artifact. Kracauer intimates that ‘floods of photographs’ create something resembling permanence which can be to the advantage of a collective memory, such as how a town once appeared because aspects can be forgotten or overridden through time as the physical landscape of the area changes. It seems to me that Kracauer’s view of photography and memory speak to the situation I have found regarding the TVA. Such a large number of photographs of the TVA have appeared in publications, the press, exhibitions and lately on the internet, that even as the landscape the TVA once filled has changed, the collective memory has been nourished by a constant availability of photographs.

As a social scientist, I avoid the notion of absolute ‘truth’, preferring something ‘fuzzier’ that allows for flexibility and experiment, and that can absorb new ideas and different perspectives. So, when I read the word ‘truth’ used by photographer Nadine Beyrouti (Beyrouti, 2021) it makes me feel uncomfortable. However, taking a closer look, I came to understand that Beyrouti places a different idea behind the word ‘truth’ than the notion of a moral absolute. She says that ‘when memory meets time it distorts the truth. The truth is extracted from all of the sense that were stimulated by their experience, history and emotion’. Beyrouti says that she captures compositions that show cultures, species, and landscapes, with the aim of portraying all the elements that make up (this) particular emotion in time and space. In her work, Beyrouti seeks to photograph ‘truth’ from different perspectives to achieve a more holistic and grounded ‘history’. As a Case Study researcher, I might prefer to use a term such as ‘experience’ rather than ‘truth’ but I suspect we are seeking to arrive at a similar place, one where we better understand a phenomenon we’re exploring and can help others see and understand that phenomenon, too.

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Appendix 2: Collaboration      

This is a developmental endeavour where collaboration with a range of players is vital to making progress and moving towards specified final objectives.

I have identified several key figures including the mayor of the village where I live who will make introductions to other officials.

I will liaise with people17 who have researched the TVA to seek contacts, exchange information.

I will contact others who have worked on similar projects18.

I will seek feedback from tutors and my fellows at Falmouth.

I will actively seek comment and feedback from local contacts.

Here a photograph of an elederly woman who travelled on the tramway as a child has been removed by request.

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Notably Michel Vieux, author of Tramways à Vapeur de l’Aude (see bibliography) and Rev Roger Farnworth.

Eg Ricard Martinez (see internet references).

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Appendix 3a: Concerning the original TVA photographs presented in this proposal A striking feature of the TVA is the rich photographic record made of it during the thirty years it was in operation. As far as I can ascertain there is no longer any copyright restriction on the use of these images; they are freely available on the internet and in publications with only their title referenced and are frequently used in official exhibitions about the TVA, again without reference to author or provenance.

I have included several photographs dating from the period 1902 – 1932 intending to provide a ‘feel’ in my reader for the way in which these photographs may speak to the people of the Corbières today and, I suggest, contribute to the mystique of the ‘little train of the vines’. In previous projects19, I have been struck by how few photographs exist of the area from the time before the TVA20. In the early 1900s, several amateur photographers undertook projects, travelling the Aude on the TVA and taking photographs of previously unphotographed villages, people and scenes – and of the TVA itself. Indeed, I suspect that an important factor in the creation of the ‘folk memory’ of the TVA is the existence of so many photographs which over time have come to enshrine an idea of a time when life was better21.

Fig 9: A tramways train crossing the canal in the centre of Narbonne some time between 1901 and 1909 19

Eg ‘Chez Nous – Chez Moi’, Hewitson, C. (2019) available on request.

I have only found official school photographs from the 1890s.

21 Eg just eight years after the demise of the TVA France was invaded and under the Vichy regime (1941 – 1944) living conditions of people in the Corbières deteriorated greatly.

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Appendix 3b: Current photography and research I see this project as a process of data gathering (including making photographs), synthesising that data, testing the data through triangulation, proposing hypotheses, testing those hypotheses, arriving at testable conclusions, and using those conclusions as the basis for decisions about what to present and how to present at the conclusion of the project. Thus all the work I have made since September 2021 has been in the context of data collection such as going into the field to find physical remnants of the TVA, trace the old lines, understand the size of the project and calculate how to keep it manageable and do-able in the available time-frame, conduct desk research, track down out of print volumes, carry out internet searches and begin to identify key people.

I have made the photographs that follow (Figures 10 – 12) in the context of fact-finding and note-taking. Some of that fact-finding is about the TVA itself while other aspects of it have been about making photographs as notes or tests, or looking at ideas for themes that I may seek to develop as the project progresses (eg what do TVA sites look like a century later; or unnoticed remnants; or comparison of travel and communications in 2021 with that of 1921). The photographs and montages that follow are extracts from this initial exploratory data collection I have been engaged with between late September and late November 2021. Because these are ideas and test pictures, the ensemble may appear somewhat fragmented but as I move on to the next stages of the project, interviews, and archive research, I aim to ground my photography in data such as news stories and personal testimonies.

Fig 10: Fibre optic internet cable recently laid between Villeneuve and Tuchan on the road precisely where the tramways used to run (November 2021).

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Fig 11: Examples of photographs I have made in October and November 2021 of views of TVA to compare with old photographs

Station of Les Palais on left taken c. 1920; on right from similar position in October 2021. I was prevented from taking the photograph from the same position as the photographer of a century before due to signage, a ditch and a newly built agricultural structure having changed the topography.

St Laurent de la Cabrerisse left c 1920 right November 2021. The station was at the extreme eastern edge of the village, so a more convenient pick-up and drop-off point was arranged in the more populous centre.

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Fig 12: Pic-nic and rest area under trees planted on former station platform at Camplong

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Appendix 4: Budget, funding, and resources Travel costs Average journey approx. 25 kms Renault Kangoo 6.9 litres per 100 kms = 1.725 litres per average project trip 4 project trips per month = 6.9 litres @ 1.6€ per litre = 11.4€ per month = 136.80€ per year Wherever possible I shall double-up project journeys with social, shopping etc journeys Equipment I own all equipment I will be using for the project apart from a stereo camera which I will investigate and budget for 250€ Print costs (speculative) 20 exhibition prints @ 60€ per print = 1200€ Fotoboada22 can arrange for 3D printing but cannot give me an estimate for the cost of printing stereoscopic cards until they see the work, as there are too many variables. So, for the time-being, I have added-in an notional 200€ for this.

20 Ikea black frames23 40 x 50 @ 15€ = 300€ (as this is the first time I shall purchase so many frames, I consider this an investment for future exhibitions) 10 copies of project photobook (based on previous photobook in 2019), circa 40€ x 10 = 400€ Project booklets – 300€ Exhibition (speculative) Four weeks gallery space offered gratis from mid-July to mid-August 2023. Estimated additional costs: Someone to open the gallery each morning and stay with the exhibition for two hours (10h00 – 12h00) = 200€24 200€ entertainment budget for exhibition opening event (this is an estimate but I shall seek sponsorship for this eg from local wine growers).

It is possible that mayors in different villages may invite me to host seminars in which case I foresee additional travel costs with other charges for the village councils to meet.

Total outlay: 3213. 80 € As this is an exploratory and experimental project, it is impossible to know exactly what the final outcomes may be. For example, if I emulate the example of Ricard Martinez to produce large-scale images, then costs will be different from those I have accounted for here. With this in mind, I have put a contingency sum of a further €2, 500 aside for this purpose. However, at the same time, I will actively seek sponsorship via mayors and social and business contacts (eg shopkeepers at the covered market in Narbonne).

NB Funding is secured from personal resources to fund this project on the basis of the above costs.

Given the experimental and developmental nature of this project, I will keep budget, funding and resources under constant review.

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See footnote page 11 I have made this estimate but it is also highly possible that the gallery owner will lend me the frames I require for the exhibition.

24 17h00 to 19h00 is covered for the period.

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Appendix 5: Impact Assessment A note about energy use I work from home where during daylight hours electricity is produced by solar panels on the roof. This is the time when I charge batteries and conduct most of my computerbased work. My personal carbon footprint is calculated at 6.6 to 10.1 t depending on the calculator used. None of the calculators asked about solar panel use and nor was I able to inform the questionnaires that my house is heated by a geothermal heat pump which, with specially constructed insulation in roofs walls and floors, plus triple glazing reduces energy consumption by two thirds.

I am aware that carbon offsetting is inefficient and, in some respects, questionable, but I have planted sixty fruit trees on land adjoining the house and have two hectares of land that I have left wild, with mature trees, bushes, and a rich mix of native flora. I monitor the wildlife species that use this area as a way of ascertaining the general health of this land. I do not cut grass among the fruit trees between early October and the second half of April each year, thus allowing insects to breed and small mammals to move around during the breeding season in the early part of the year and then making way for badgers, foxes, boar and other animals to forage in the Summer and early Autumn. It may be naïve, but I believe that this additional hand I give to nature makes up for minor breaches of endeavours to reduce my CO2 footprint generally.

Travel I live in a remote rural area and there is no other means of transport other than private cars; even recycling at times involves a car journey.

My project is local to my home thus I can have a considerable degree of control over the journeys made and therefore fuel consumption, carbon footprint and pollution levels created by the travel aspects of my project. Given the local nature of my project, I will always look to being able to double-up on car journeys for the project and car journeys for other purposes.

According to the information supplied by Renault and by myclimate website’s carbon calculator the carbon footprint of my car is 0.028t for every 100 kilometres25 My car is a petrol-driven Renault Kangoo which I purchased new in 2001. I chose a petrol car as I am concerned about the very high levels of pollution from diesel fuels, claimed by Friends of the Earth to be ten times greater than in petrol and to be as dangerous as tobacco or mustard gas. I have not changed the car since I purchased it but have maintained it in good condition so fuel consumption should not have changed much, if at all, since 2001.

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By comparison the myclimate website calculates that the carbon footprint of a Renault Kangoo fuelled by diesel would be 0.032t per 100 kms.

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Video conferencing A recent study undertaken by Purdue University in the US estimates that an hour of videoconferencing or streaming emits between 150 and 1000 grams of carbon dioxide, It also uses up to 12 litres of water and an area of land about the size of an iPad mini. Researchers found that leaving the camera off helps reduce the carbon, land and water footprints of video conferencing. Thus, I will monitor my camera use during video calls with those I need to contact in connection with this project including with relevant people at Falmouth University. This does not mean cutting out camera use completely, but means using the camera with care and always asking the question ‘does the person I am speaking to really need to see me during this conversation?’

Mobile phone use The bulk of CO2 emitted in connection with a mobile phone is used during its manufacture. A minute of mobile phone use corresponds to 57g of CO2. The overall CO2 emissions of a mobile phone are estimated at 47kgs a year or more in some cases. Texting is a much lower carbon option than speaking and landlines use about one third of the amount of CO2 to send a call than when two people are both on mobiles. I have an iPhone but rarely make calls, communicating mainly via WhatsApp, text and email. I see no reason not to continue in this manner in the present project apart from in the odd case of an emergency or sudden unexpected need. I also use apps on my iPhone with my GoPro and some camera functions; I do not know how these functions affect phone-related CO2 emissions, but will for the present calculate these as emails.

Internet With over 4 billion users worldwide the internet accounts for 3.7% of the worlds carbon emissions26. This is due to two key factors: manufacturing and shipping eg of computers mobile phones, servers; and powering and cooling ie energy sources eg coal, solar, nuclear. Each activity we use on the internet eg use a search engine or web browser, send an email or connect with a server, use cloud-based services, increases our carbon footprint.

All my devices are manufactured by Apple and I subscribe to Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft 365 (office suite) and FaceBook, all of whom have taken steps to green their cloud services promising to be carbon negative by 2030. I will conduct an audit of my IT use to see which other measures I can take to further reduce my CO2 footprint while conducting this project and in the future (see climatecare website in footnote below).

Camera and equipment I am using a Canon digital camera for this project and as such the CO2 footprint of the camera has already been made during its manufacture. Canon have a sustainability programme27 which I believe to be comprehensive and includes safe disposal of my camera when it comes to the end of its life.

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www.climatecare.org/resources/news/infographic-carbon-footprint-internet www.canon.co.uk/sustainability/reduce-your-impact-on-the-environment

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Memory cards and external hard discs I use Sandisk memory cards and in 2020 moved from disk-based external hard drives to SSDs also manufactured by Sandisk. I made this move because I felt that solid state hard drives have a longer life than disk-based ones so should not need to be replaced very often and thus be less wasteful of scarce resources. I am drawn to the Sandisk manufacturers Western Digital because of their stated commitment of care for the environment via energy reduction, materials conservations, product stewardship, oversight of energy and emissions, and responsible disposal of products at the end of their lives.

Printing I will use a local company I have used in the past, and which is committed to a policy of continuously improving its environmental credentials in the context of overall quality assurance: Imprimerie de bourg, Narbonne. This printshop is committed to caring for the environment in all aspects of its work and is signed up to four environmental quality marks.

Overnight accommodation I shall work from home and in my local area, so no additional accommodation will be required.

Books, publications and research I have purchased some second-hand books for research and have accessed many online articles about the Tramways de l’Aude. I am hoping to interview up to five people who may, as children have travelled on the tramway or who will have heard stories directly from people who had travelled on it. Given the age of the interviewees, I will conduct these interviews in person if possible. Where this is not feasible, I will ask relatives or carers to conduct and record interviews on my behalf.

Influence I believe the principal influence of this project will be on maintaining interest in the TVA and on safeguarding remaining sites, remnants and archive materials. There is potential, too, for this project to influence ongoing local discussions about transport use and the climate emergency across rural areas of the Aude in the 2020s and beyond.

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Appendix 6: Indicative schedule of key activities over following three modules                   

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Informing Contexts (Phase 1) Trace the Corbières routes of the TVA Make written notes Make ‘sketch’ photographs Shoot, conduct interviews, gather data Include video in shooting Experiment with 3D/ stereoscopic images Experiment with ‘Rephotography’ Seek out new contacts, particularly mayors28 of villages on the TVA routes Scoping sponsorship opportunities in the project Include development of project on my website (to be launched on 24 December 2021) Conduct desk-based research Research at the departmental archives in Carcassonne Join and follow social media groups with shared interests (also useful for contacts) Synthesise data through writing-up (ongoing throughout the project) Regularly review progress Maintain CRJ (throughout) Keep a project diary (throughout) Seek-out and attend public events related to TVA (thoughout) Review budget and finances

Sustainable Strategies (Phase 2)  Evaluate work completed thus far : - Categorise materials/ data obtained thus far Consider uncompleted activities & where necessary revise plans  Follow-through on contacts made via mayors et al (eg meetings to explain project and what I am aiming for at the project’s completion and the collaborative arrangements I seek)  making written notes and making ‘sketch’ photographs and work photographs  On basis of evaluation of findings from Phase 1, revise shooting and data-gathering plans  Ongoing synthesis and refinement of materials and data  Review budget and finances  Being to identify potential sponsors  Ongoing desk-based/ archive research  Sketch-out photobook  Discuss print requirements with Imprimerie du Bourg29, Narbonne and Fotoboada, Barcelona  Review budget and finances

Collaboration and Professional Locations (Phase 3)  Work with sponsors  Review budget and finances  Evaluate, collate and edit all work completed  Share work with selected mayors and/ or other contacts and elicit feedback  Identify any gaps  Return to the field where necessary to shoot, gather data  Work on photobook  Liaise with gallery owner re design of gallery presentation (for July 2023)  Begin to identify pictures for printing  Approach potential exhibition sponsors if not done so already  Include other activities as appropriate

Mayors are crucial allies in France; if a project gains their approval, a mayor can make key introductions and unlock resources eg potential sponsors With regard to photobook, as stated in Appendix 4, I will work on the basis of a print run of 10 copies. However, should mayors request and fund more copies and sponsor found to fund a larger print run then I will do this. I may also take orders at the gallery in July 2023 so request a second print run.

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Appendix 7: Picture references Fig 1 Sigean – arrivé du train, old postcard, in Vieux, M. (2011) p82.

Fig 2 Map of the TVA showing Corbieres lines in yellow, Vieux, M. (2011) back cover.

Fig 3 Seminar presentation by Chris Hewitson with Ricard Martinez, Grisart, Barcelona, by Molero Saura, D. (March 2018).

Fig 4 Tuchan – train on the bridge over the river Petit Verdouble, in Vieux, M. (2011) p113.

Fig 5 Map of France showing position of the Departement of the Aude in red.

Fig 6 People waiting for TVA outside main railway station at Narbonne, old postcard, Chris Hewitson collection.

Fig 7 Timetable of the Ripaud to Tuchan line c 1920. Chris Hewitson collection.

Fig 8 Madame Michelle Bringuier, by Chris Hewitson 2019.

Fig 9 A tramways train crossing the canal in the centre of Narbonne some time between 1901 and 1909. Chris Hewitson collection.

Fig 10 Fibre optic internet cable has been laid where the tramways used to run, by Chris Hewitson, November 2021.

Fig 11 Station at Les Palais, old post card, Chris Hewitson collection; Station at Les Palais (now a private dwelling), by Chris Hewitson, October 2021.

People waiting for TVA at unofficial halt in the centre of St Laurent de la Carbrerisse, old postcard, Chris Hewitson collection; View of site of former halt in centre of St. Laurent, by Chris Hewitson, November 2021.

Fig 12 Pic-nic and rest area under trees planted on former station platform at Camplong, by Chris Hewitson, October 2021.

Fig 13 Original photographs (postcards of the TVA 1902 – 1932 from website of Roger Farnworth (ibid 2018).

Illustrations on pages 9, 10 A cover of Les petits trains de jadis, sud-ouest de la France, accessed November 2021 on website: http://voiesferreesdegironde.e-monsite.com/pages/bibliographie/ B cover of ‘Tramways à Vapeur de l’Aude’ accessed November 2021 on website : www.editionsdelattre.fr/11-l-aude/976-tramways-a-vapeur-de-l-aude-le-petit-train-des-vignes9782916467191.html C Roger Farnworth blog, and all photographs on page 32: see internet site references, p 26 below.

D cover of Scarp, accessed November 2021 on website: www.hachette.co.uk/titles/nick-papadimitriou/scarp/9781444723397/ E Liz Wells, accessed November 2021at: www.plymouth.ac.uk/staff/liz-wells F cover of Abandoned Places, accessed November 2021 on website: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Abandoned-Places-Kieron-Connolly/dp/1782743944/ref=sr_1_6? crid=2AV2LGM2PEY56&keywords=abandoned+places+book&qid=1638293755&sprefix=abandoned%2Caps%2C181&sr=8-6 G cover of Urbex, accessed November 2021 on website: https://photo.geo.fr/urbex-a-la-decouverte-des-lieux-abandonnes-a-travers-la-france-et-l-europe-37853 H Robert MacFarlance, accessed November 2021 at website: www.weaverwords.org.uk/on-the-edge I cover of Perspective on Place, accessed November 2021 at website: www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00S970Q5U/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0 Illustrations on page 14: First row: On the Stereoscope and the Stereograph, November 2014, https://iparadisi.wordpress.com/2014/11/12/on-the-stereoscope-and-the-stereograph-in-progress/ and www.utas.edu.au/library/exhibitions/midwood/designer.html, both accessed November 2021.

Second row : Arqueologia del Punt de vista, http://blog.arqueologiadelpuntdevista.org, accessed November 2021

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Appendix 8: References and bibliography References Please note that some references and bibliography mentions are in footnotes of the pages on which the text to which they refer appears Alexander, J (2015, 2020) Perspectives on Place, Abingdon, Bloomsbury Publishing/ Routledge.

Barthes, R, (2000) Camera Lucida (originally published 1980), London, Vintage Books.

Kracauer, S (2012) Memory Images in ‘Memory: Documents of Contemporary Art’ Ed Farr, I., Whitechapel, The MT Press.

Pellerin, D, May, B (editor) (2021) Stereoscopy: the dawn of 3D, London, The London Stereoscopic Company.

Schwartz R et al (2011) Spacial History: railways, uneven development, and population change in France and Great Britain 1850 – 1914. In Journal of Interdisciplinary History, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press pp 53 – 88.

Bibliography Connolly, K, (2016) Abandoned Places, Amber Books, London, Amber Books.

Domengie, H. (1986) Les petits trains de jadis : sud-ouest de la France, Breil sur Roya, Les Editions du Cabri.

Glieseking, JJ (et al) Eds (2014) ‘The People, Place, and Space Reader, London, Routledge.

Hannem, T. (2016) Urbex: 50 lieux secrets et abandonnés en France, Paris, Arthau.

Hornstein, S (2011) Losing Site : Architecture, Memory and Place, Londonm Routledge.

MacFarlane, R (2005) ‘A Road of One’s Own’, Times Literary Supplement, October 7.

Papadmimitriou, N. (2012) Scarp: in search of London’s outer limits, London, Sceptre.

Vieux, Michel (2011) Tramways à Vapeur de l’Aude : le petit train des vignes, Lavelanet, Latour Editions.

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Appendix 9: Internet site references         

Archives departementales de l’Aude : Le Patrimoine Ferroviaire audois : Revolte de 1907 et Guerre de 1914 – 1918. https://archivesdepartementales.aude.fr/actualites/le-patrimoine-ferroviaire-audois-3-revolte-de-1907-et-guerre-de-1914-1918 , accessed November 2021.

Beyrouti, Nadine, www.nadinebeyrouti.com/photography (Photography section) accessed November 2021.

Coekin, C www.chriscoekin.com/index.php?/about-this-site accessed November 2021.

Farnworth, Roger, (2018) ‘Tramways de l’Aude: Narbonne to Fleury d’Aude’, https://rogerfarnworth.com/category/railways-blog/french-railways/metre-gaugerailways-and-tramways-of-south-western-france/ (accessed November 2021).

Hasghenbezhad, H., Heidari, AA, Hoseini, PM, (2013) Sense of Place and Place Attachment (a compariative study), in International Journal of Architecture and Urban Development vol 3 No 1, weblink: https://ijaud.srbiau.ac.ir/pdf_581_a90b5ac919ddc57e6743d8ce32d19741.html (accessed November 2021).

Martinez, R, (August 10, 2018) https://comunadeicaria.blogspot.com/2018/08/refotografia-la-imatge-infinita-ricard.html (accessed November 2021) (verbal translation on request).

Martinez, R (from ‘Entravistas’, 19 February 2014) www.psicosocialyemergencias.com/experiencia-de-la-refotografia-entrevista-a-ricard-martinez/ (verbal translation on request).

Schaefer, TF www.tfschaefer.net/about/ (accessed November 2021) Wells, L. (2019) Hidden Histories and Landscape Enigmas, in Photographies Volume 12 issue 2, special edition: Photography and Landscape pp177 – 193 https://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk/bitstream/handle/10026.1/14478/HIDDEN%20HISTORIES%20AND%20LANDSCAPE%20ENIGMAS%202.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y accessed November 2021.

Appendix 10: Additional reading list (a work in progress)      

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The Difficult Knowledge Project, internet site, http://blogs.ubc.ca/difficultknowledge/ (accessed November 2021) (Re)photography, internet site www.nicoleleanne.com/rephotography (accessed November 2021) www.geograph.org.uk/gallery/dismantled_disused_and_derelict_railways_6461/2 (accessed November 2021) De Nardi, S et al (Eds) (2020) The Routledge Handbook of Memory and Place, Abingdon, Routledge.

Domengie, H. (1990) Les petits trains de jadis : Ouest de la France, Breil sur Roya, Les Editions du Cabri.

Farr, I. (Ed) 2012) Memory : Documents of contemporary art, Whitechapel Gallery and MIT press.

Appendix 11: Photography Risk Assessment form

Please read the Risk Assessment Guidelines before completing this form which contains further resources, available from The Photography Centre.

Please save a copy of this form to your computer

•

• You will need to attach a risk assessment form to your Research Project Proposal and your Final Major Project

Proposal.

Photographer’s Name:

Chris Hewitson

Assistants’ Names: Module Leader: Location: Description of work:

N/A Jesse Alexander (course leader) The Corbières region of southern France A range of photographs: documentary, landscape, still life, portrait work This work will take place in a range of environments – in wild areas, on roads, at roadsides, in homes, in villages and towns.

Check list Equipment

X Flash/tungsten

Date(s) of Shoot:

Stands/tripods

X Hot lights

Flammable materials

Risk of Fire

Welfare of Assistant

Location

Transport to location X

Parking

X

Vehicles/traffic

Confined spaces

Derelict Buildings

X

Animals

Public

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X

November 2021 – June 2022

Smoke machine/fire

Welfare of model X

Working at Heights

X

Weather conditions

X

Children

Tides

Compressed Gasses

Water

Noise

Chemicals

PRIMARY RISK ASSESSMENT Concentrating too much on project (eg looking HAZARD for former tram routes, matching old photos with modern views, looking for tramway remnants), forgetting about driving and then driving too slowly

RISK OF

Annoying other drivers, banging into things, driving into a ditch.

CONTRO Have someone else to be my driver when out ‘exploring’.

L MEASUR E HAZARD

Driving at night

RISK OF

Glare from headlights affecting vision (I have cataracts) when dark. Risk of accident.

This is a particular problem in Winter months. Always turn to return home as soon as it becomes necessary to switch on CONTRO headlights.

L MEASUR E Driving on very sunny days or days of white glare Not being able to see well enough to drive (due to cataracts).

HAZARD RISK OF

CONTRO L MEASUR E

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Wear sunglasses. Keep spare pair of sunglasses with photographic equipment.

HAZARD

Unstable surfaces while walking in countryside

RISK OF

Tripping, falling

PRIMARY RISK ASSESSMENT

CONTRO L MEASUR E HAZARD

Wear walking shoes and don’t take risks.

Camera and equipment while out on location

RISK OF

Theft, damage

Be aware of surroundings when working out of the car and using it as a mobile store. Avoid distractions. Attach camera bag CONTRO to chair or to my own leg with cycle lock when taking refreshment.

L MEASUR E Tripod Risk of falling or being blown over (I am working in a region HAZARD RISK renowned for its high winds).

OF

CONTRO L MEASUR E

Secure tripod with sandbags – one per each foot. Sandbags kept in car.

On site risk assessment: these are control measures that arose on your shoot

29

Emergency Information and Procedures Phone Charged mobile phone with full signal. I will occasionally be beyond signal range. No payphones left in the region where I am working. I will always let someone know where I am going and if feasible, when going to areas not covered by phone signal, will not go alone.

Every town and village in the Corbières has a first aid point usuall at or near the mairie. I will check Medical Expertise where these are in the villages I’m going to visit.

Emergency Procedure

Dial 15 for medical emergency; 18 for fire or accident; 17 for police assistance.

Medical Treatment

Hospitals at Lezignan, Carcassonne or Narbonne. Usually best to phone one of the emergency services

Evacuation procedures Incident/accident reporting • I have ensured that I have reviewed the hazards and risks associated with this project and taken necessary steps to remove hazards where possible or reduced the risks associated with the remaining hazards to a minimum.

• •

I have recorded the main hazards, risks and control measures in this document.

I have ensured that those working with me have been briefed on the nature of the tasks they are to perform, and are aware of the hazards associated with the task and the measures in place to reduce the risks associated with those hazards. (if applicable)

•

I will continually assess hazards and risks ‘live’ on site to ensure that nothing has been overlooked or has changed since initial assessment.

Signed:

Assessment reviewed by

30

Date:

Contents (Figures)

Page

Fig 1 Sigean – arrivé du train

front cover

Fig 2 Map of the TVA

2

Fig 3 Seminar presentation by Chris Hewitson with Ricard Martinez

5

Fig 4 Tuchan – train on the bridge over the river Petit Verdouble

6

Fig 5 Map of France showing position of the Departement of the Aude

7

Fig 6 People waiting for TVA outside main railway station at Narbonne

8

Fig 7 Timetable of the Ripaud to Tuchan line c. 1920

11

Fig 8 Portrait of Mme B removed by request

12

Fig 9 A tramways train crossing the canal in the centre of Narbonne sometime between 1901 and 1909

15

Fig 10 Fibre optic internet cable has been laid where the tramways used to run

16

Fig 11 Station at Les Palais, c 1921; Station at Les Palais 2021.

People waiting for TVA at unofficial halt in the centre of St Laurent de la Carbrerisse c 1921; View of site of former halt in centre of St Laurent, 2021

17

Fig 12 Pic-nic and rest area under trees planted on former station platform at Camplong

18

Fig 13 Original photographs (postcards) of the TVA 1902 – 1932

32

31

Figure 14: Original photographs (old postcards) of the TVA 1902 – 1932 from website of Roger Farnworth (ibid 2018).

32