As part of my University degree, I've chosen to photograph the concrete structures at Dudley Zoo and Castle. The Tectons as they're sometimes known are a series of 12 buildings, all Listed, that were designed and built in 1936/1937 to house the animals and visitors to one of the countries largest tourist attractions.
Nowadays the architecture is overlooked by many of the visitors but I have photographed it three times now and the second time was with Redscale XR ISO200 Medium Format 120 Film. I underexposed the shots, and after reading about the film, I revisited with an idea to alter the settings on the Bronica ETRS to allow two more stops of light per photograph, to see if I can get some better images.
The results of the Redscale films are not available yet ,as I'm waiting for them to return from the lab but I illustrate the angles and scenes with a digital camera that I shot with side by side.
I am completing my degree at the University Of Wolverhampton and this work when it returns, will feature in an exhibition "The Matter Of The Black Country" at the Centrala Gallery in Digbeth Birmingham, 16th to the 18th January 2024.
This footage was shot primarily for me to document the settings and logic behind some of the shots I made on this film, rather than me having to write it all down. It was soaking wet and windy, so getting my book out would have only made it super wet and unreadable.
Hope you enjoy the video, if you watch any of it. The architecture of Berthold Lubetkin and the Tecton group is outstanding and it is a shame that it is not all still standing.
