Return Journey

EastAnglia Contemporary Group

March2026

Return Journey

WearemembersoftheContemporarySpecial InterestGroupoftheRPSwhoresideinEastAnglia.It isalargegeographicareacoveringfromtheM25up totheWashandthewesternedgeof Cambridgeshire,

Theparticipantsaresmallinnumberandspreadall overtheregion.WemeetmonthlyviaZoomandtryto producebodiesofworktwiceperyear.

Thiszineisanattempttodojusticetothework produced

Contactthegroupat contemporaryea@rps.org

‘ReturnJourney’

Thisthemeistakenfromthetitlefromawireless broadcastbyDylanThomasin1947.Hedescribes returningtotheplaceofhisyouthandwhathedoes anddoesnotfindfollowingthreenightsofbombing ofSwanseaduringWWII.

HisvisitwasinFebruary1941,some85yearstothe collationofthecontentofthiszine.

ItwasacoldwhitedayinHighStreet,and nothingtostopthewindslicingupfromthe docks,forwherethesquatandtallshops hadshieldedthetownfromthesealay theirblitzedflatgravesmarbledwithsnow andheadstonedwithfences.Dogs,delicate ascatsonwater,asthoughtheyhadgloves ontheirpaws,paddedoverthevanished buildings.

Theintentofthisgroupistointerpretoursetthemes withoutnecessarilytakingtheliteralinterpretation

Asever,thisassignmentprovedtobesomewhat challengingwithnotallmemberstakingpartin interpretingthestatement,orindeedfindingthe referenceworkcatalysetheirthoughts..

Theresponsestothisextractareasdiverseasusual forthegroup.

TomOwensARPS

March2026

TonyFisherisnewtoourgroupbutforhim,thiswashometurf.Hisgrittyandvernacularimageswhilstnot depictingsnow,certainlyembodytheopeningwordsofThomas’litany.

PaulAshleyhituponathemeveryearlyoninthisexerciseandhisobservationsarelikethoseofachoreographer watchingaperformancefromthesideofastage.I’mparticularlydrawntothemowermanmarchingthough linesofsacrificedliveswhosememorialcrossesarepermanentlyatattention.

JonathanWilliams,findsvalidationinhishistoricandcontemporarywork.Timeisoftenneededtobeableto standbackandanalysethosefundamentalcreativeseedssownmanyyearsago.

ChristopherCrosshasprovedthevalidityinmakingvernacularimagesthatwereverymuchoftheirtimeto documenttheriseandfallofahome,andthefinaleffectofbeingonthewrongsideoftracks.

TomOwenswentbacktothestartingpointofhisdesiretograduateinphotographyandnotesthatnotmuch,if anythinghaschanged.LikeJonathanWilliams’discovery,itisalsoavalidationofhiscurrentpracticethatwasfar fromfullyformedin1972.

MarkFarringtonhasalsofoundmeritinre-discoveringcherishedmemoriesofpeople,lifeeventsandan underlyingthreadofkeymotorisedvehiclesthatbearwitnesstohislifeexperiences.

ReturnJourney

Myreturnjourneyistoaplaceverycloseto DylanThomas’s.IgrewupintheGower PeninsulanearSwanseaandspentmyyouth inSwanseaandtheGower.AsateenagerI usedtocatchthebustoSwanseaandalways hadsausagechipsandgravyinWoolworths. Stilltherebutnowashellwithachurchinit. MumblesPierwasalsoaveryimportantplace forme.Mymumtoldmethatasachildshe usedtohaveafternoonteawiththelighthouse keeper.Ijustspentmanydaysamblingaround MumblesandthebeachesoftheGowerwere mysoulplace,especiallyRhossilliandWorms HeadwhereIalwayssworeIwouldhavemy ashesscattered.Foramoodyadolescentit wastheperfectplace,withadramatic crashingseainwinterwhichmatchedmy usualmood…

‘ItwasacoldwhitedayinHighStreet,andnothingtostopthewindslicingup fromtheDocks,forwherethesquatandtallshopshadshieldedthetownfrom thesealaytheirblitzedflatgravesmarbledwithsnowandheadstonedwith fences.’

PaulAshleyARPS

Myphotographsareofvisitorstothe AmericanCemeteryinCambridge.Forthe Americansburiedthereitwasthereturn journeyfromthebattlefield.Forthe maintenanceworkers,manyofthem veterans,itwasaregularreturntowhere theirfellowslay.Forthevisitorsfrom Americaitmayhavefeltlikeacompletion ofthereturnjourney(ajoiningoftheend points)thattheirrelativeshadfailedto complete.Prosaically,manywouldtakea returnticketontheopentopbusthat makesthejourneyfromCambridge Station.

‘Dead’.ThePark-keepersaid.‘Dead…Dead…Dead…Dead…Dead…Dead.’

AReturnJourneytotheQueenAdelaideHouse–OneCarefulOwner

BuiltonthesiteofapreviouswoodenhousebelongingtoBritishRailwaysasitwasatthetime,thisveryplain3 bedroomhousetookitsplace.AsmyfatherworkedforBR,ahousecamewithhisjobasaresidentialcrossing keeper,sothisnewhousewastobeoursafteramovefromLevingtoninSuffolk.Therelocationtookplacein 1972withmeattheageof11readytotakeaplaceinthenewlyformedcomprehensive,CityofElyCollege. Lifefeltsimplethenwiththehousepositionedintheanglebetweentherailwayandroadfrontage,dieseltrains andmanualcrossinggates.ThefirstbigchangecameinAugust1992whenthefirstelectrictrainscameinto operation.Ihadmovedoutbythen,butreturningtothefamilyhome,Icanrememberhowquiettheywere,but alsoseeinghowclosetheoverheadlinesweretothehouse.Thenextbigchangecameafewyearslaterwith thereplacementofthemanualcrossinggateswithautomatedbarriers.

Followingmybrothergaininghisindependence,everythingremainedunchangeduntilmyfather’ssuddendeath in2003.Mothercouldhavestayedinthehouse,butsoonmovedintoEly,leavingthehouseempty.Being ‘railwaypeople’,weunderstoodthepotentialdangerofthehighvoltagecables,butitwasconsideredto dangerousforoccupancybyothers,soremainedemptyforthenext22years. Iwasinformedoftherailwaycompanies’intentiontodemolishthehouselastsummer,sopaiditavisittosee howthingshadchangedovertheyears.Thiswasfollowedbymylastreturnjourneywithmotheronthe7th October2025toviewthechangedlandscapefollowingdemolition.Thepreviousaccesslanetothesideofthe househadgoneandnaturehadstartedtoenvelopthehouse.Unusualcircumstanceforahouseofonly53years tohaveonly1occupantandthenbedemolished.

JonathanWilliams

ThisprojectisaboutmyreturnjourneytoLeeds.Iwenttouniversitytherebetween1969and1972.Ireturned therein2020forashortstay.IwantedtocomparethephotographsItookwhileatuniversitytotherecentones.

Ofcourse,IhavechangedandthetechniquesIusedhavechangedfromblackandwhitetodigitalcolour.Thisis ineffectlookingbackatmyyoungerselfandcomparinghowIapproachedphotographythen,withmyapproach today,havingmoreknowledgeaboutphotography,supposedly.Somephotographsareverysimilarandothers arecompletelydifferent.

WhileatuniversityIhadthetime(3years)toexploreLeedswhileonmyreturnIhad3hours.Intheintervening yearshavehadtheopportunitytoabsorbtheknowledgeofWeston,Sontag,Berger,BarthesandAdams(Robert andAnsel)andofcourselookedatthousandsofphotographsinbooksandinexhibitions.

Thecomparisonofthesetwosetsofphotographsraisesaquestion,thatis,wasmynaiveandunknowing20year-oldself,producingphotographsthatIwouldhappilytaketoday?Isitallthere:-psychogeography,new topographics,structuralism,poststructuralism,modernismandpostmodernism?WasIaheadofmytime,asthe categoriesmyphotographsfitintowerenotestablishedorunknowntome?

The2020photographsaremoreaboutpatternanddesignbutalsocolour.ThedifferenceisnowIknowthat, whenItakeaphotograph,Ihavetobeabletojustifyitwithwords,becausethat'swhatyouhavetodonow.Ican writeaboutthe1970sphotographsnowbecauseI'musedtowritingaboutphotographs.Inthe55intervening years,itseemsthattheimportantthingIhavelearnedishowtousetexttojustifymyphotographs.

TomOwensARPS

Thisthemesetupaconundrumforme.Mynormal,current,practiceistomakereturnvisitstothesame locationstomakeimagesforbodiesofwork.IimmediatelythoughtofmyEdgelandsseriesandImadeaneditof imagesthatcouldnotbemadeagainatthesameviewpoints.ThatgotmethinkingmoreaboutwhatThomas’ broadcastwasabout.Thereisanunderlyingthemeofdeaththatrunsthroughthisbroadcastmadein1947.

Idecidedtore-visittheimagesImadeformyinitialapplicationtostudyphotographyatdegreelevel.

Coincidentally,makingtheinitialseriesin1972wasinfactaformofdocumentingtheaftermathofGerman bombingcombinedwithLiverpoolCityCouncil’sattemptstofinishoffwhatHitlerstarted.Iwasofferedaplaceat Birminghamtostudy,butInevermadeit.WorkandlifegotinthewaythenIeventuallystudiedformy photographydegreeatUniversityCampusSuffolk2011-14..

UponcompletingthatcourseintheSummerof2014,wemadeararereturnvisittoLiverpool,andIsoughtout thelocationsofsomeofmy1972portfolioimages.

ThingshadchangedinsofarasIcouldnotstandwhereIhadoncestoodbuthadanythingchangedatall?The LiverpoolUniversityteachinghospitalwasstoodemptyandincompleteinNovember1972owingtoan Electrician’sstrikethatwaspartoftheNationalbuildingstrikebuthereIwasphotographingthesamehospital thatalthoughitwasinpartoccupied,wasintheprocessofdemolition.

MajorlandmarkssuchastheLiverBuildingswhereIwasinterviewedformycareerintheCivilService,andthe CunardBuildingwhereIworkedasalowlyclerkarestilltherebutin1972thesebuildingswereblackfrom pollution.TheLiverpoolEchoandDailyPostsitewhereIreceivedmyfirstpaymentforsubmittingphotographs totheirpicturedeskwasalldifferentaswasPrincesDockbutthatwasdevoidoftheIrishferriesthatnowsail fromBirkenheadwithoutneedingtodock.

Returningtotheselocationsbroughtbackmanymemoriesbutleftmewonderingwhetherverymuchhad changedatall.

MarkFarringtonARPS

Mylovesforphotographyandpoweredvehicleswerebothacquiredfrommyfather,andthisisourjourney together,backtowardstheirorigins.

Irecognisedotherparallelsthatemergedonthisjourney-thedetailswebothrecordtodocumentourimages, ourlovefortheEnglishWestCountry,ourenjoymentofthetechnologyandcraftofphotographyasmuchfor thoseofthevehicles.

Howhewouldhaverevelledinthecapabilitiesofmoderncameras!

BritishSuperbikeatspeed,Snetterton.2024,MarkFarrington,digitalimage,OlympusOM-1withZuiko40-150mmf2.8and1.4 teleconverter.

KateFarringtonfeedingourdaughterClairewithour1979VWSciroccoStorm,nearAppledore,Devoncoast.1986,MarkFarrington, Ektachromeslide,OlympusXA.

Pitgarages,practiceday,Le Mans24hrace.1979,Mark Farrington,Kodachromeslide, OlympusOM1

MarkFarringtonwithourrentedcaravanandKen’s1959SingerGazelle,Porthgwarra,WestCornwall.Early-1960s,Kenneth Farrington,Kodachromeslide,ZeissWerra.

AmbroseJefferywith1957DavidBrownToolCarrierTractor,TrebehorFarm,WestCornwall.Mid-1960s,KennethFarrington,faded Agfaslide,ZeissWerra.

MyfatherKenwithhisbeloved1967DaimlerV8,nearWolverhampton.1971,MarkFarrington,fadedAgfaslide,ZeissWerra.

ThisisthelastzinethatIamproducingfortheEastAngliaContemporaryGroupoftheRPS.

Ihavemanagedthegroupsince2015andnowitistimeforchange.Ineedtore-energisemycreativebeingby steppingawayfromtheRPSandimmersingmyselfintomakingnewbodiesofwork.

I’dliketothankallthecontributorstotheactivitiesthisgrouphasengagedinoverthelast11years,including physicalexhibitionsandfacetofacemeetingspriortoCOVID.Thepandemicchangedhowweoperatedandthe useofZoommadeourgroupmoreaccessiblegiventhegeographicspreadthatwecover.

Iwishthegroupwellwiththeirfutureendeavours..

Thequotesusedinthiszineweretakenfromhttp://www.dylanthomas.com/blog/ashes-now-under-the-snowdylan-thomas-return-journey/

TomOwensARPS

March2026

FormoreinformationabouttheContemporaryGroupof theRoyalPhotographicSocietypleasevisit https://rps.org/groups/contemporary/ ©Copyright2026remainswithallartists