Evaluation

As this project is suppose to be referring to the clubs across the UK closing down though (the most often cited reasons) the lack of younger people joining due to Sky TV and cheap alcohol from the supermarkets, which has led to financial problems for many clubs, I specifically chose two clubs that had been privatised.

The set of images produced in this project work together as a series even though they are so different in their colour schemes because the project is about the people, although the images are uninhabited, as much as it is the space. With the aim of exploring the history and privatisation of former C.I.U. affiliated clubs in the Blackpool area, the images try to reflect the communities built over several decades within the clubs and what those communities are now based around.

Whilst the wider shots provide context and a setting for the project the detail shots highlight the previously mentioned communities. In the two clubs I have been focusing on the main thing that brought the members together was the pool and snooker leagues that take place between the clubs. There is a lot of organisation goes into the running of a league and this is evidenced in the details by the various notices, tables and fixture lists displayed around the clubs. In the wider shots the clubs affiliation with pool and snooker is obvious through the predominance of pool and snooker tables in the clubs.

Whilst I would not say there is a particularly dominant style coming through in the detail shots particularly I tried to frame them fairly consistently, and tried to make sure the rest of the shot was not too clustered to distract. Whilst I have moved quite close in for a lot of the detail shots I tried to maintain a slight distance between the view and the focus of the images so that the viewer can view the club and it’s values without being there. Inclusion through exclusion.

I have tried to keep bold colours through out the images, which has been maintained to some extent I think. I struggled to fit together or balance the very bold and bright colours found in Waterloo Social Club with the paler and less ‘in your face’ creams and subdued greens found in The Blackpool Trades Club.

Final Edit and Accomanying Statement

This project aims to explore the history and privatisation of many former C.I.U. affiliated clubs in the Blackpool area. The clubs that have privatised are still, on the whole, members only clubs so subs are paid and committees are still in place to aid with the general runnings of the clubs.

Many clubs across the UK are closing down through a variety of factors, though most often cited is the lack of younger people joining due to Sky TV and cheap alcohol from the supermarkets; with this in mind my aim is to try to capture the history to draw positive attention back to the clubs.

I have focused the project on two clubs in Blackpool; Waterloo Social Club on St Annes Road and The Blackpool Trades Club on Chadwick Street. Both of the clubs have long histories, Waterloo being built at the turn of the twentieth century and the The Trades Club in 1929; and both are now privatized through members buying out the clubs to save them being closed through bankruptcy. By privatizing the clubs they are taking them off the C.I.U. and so are no longer affiliated.

This body of work explores how social clubs have maintained strong communities, despite their struggle to survive in a difficult economic climate. Rather than focus on the individual members, I have chosen to look for the traces of community evident in the empty clubs.

First Edit

These are the images I have chosen for the options for the final 12-15 images for the final hand in. I have tried to put a fairly even number of images from each of the two clubs to that the project is not unevenly weighted.

The image below is definately out.

Image below not in as not really club specific aside the pool game fixtures on the right.

There are a few repeat shots from different distances and shots featuring the same things that will easily reduce the number of images and eliminate repeat shots.

Waterloo

This was the final shoot in the Waterloo Social Club and like BTC was just to reshoot a few images that weren't sharp enough.

I didn't frame these two below in the same way as i did originally which i'm disapointed in but i have run out of shoot time.

Blackpool Trades Club

I went back to photograph the club once more just to get a few final shots for the final edit. Once of this shot which turned out not to work at all not matter how it was shot with the table - there was a massive pool table in the way so the tripod could move and not matter what you did with the table it looked wrong.

Unfortunately I also learned that it was the last day the club would be open as for financial reasons it was shutting out. An interesting end to the project.

I took the shot below of the bar was mainly because there had been lots of things taken down already, and can be seen in the bit of ripped paper on the left of the image.

I was reshooting this image for the focus unfortunately as the hand written notice (see here) had already been taken down. Now it looks very bare.

Waterloo

These are a few more close ups from Waterloo to try to catpure something a little different.

I think the image above and the one below reinforce the pride in this club in terms of sports. For any Blackpool fan this season has been huge but Waterloo has a wall and a half dedicated to Blackpool's football team.

Waterloo

With these close in images at Waterloo I tried to focus in on the messages on the wall specifically aimed at the members such as the leagues of the various sports they are in.

I thought i might go in closer on the trophies but I think that the sense of the club and its pride is lost as the trophies are almost out of place. This displacement making them lost and so not asociated to anything in particualr. Or at least I think that could be.

I though a detail shot of the cue lockers could be interesting.