Mark
Parkinson

I make work about my life on council estates of the 60?s 70,s and 80,s these places often insular, were not just place of poverty, violence and neglect, they also brought with them a sense of community and belonging, as a child they became a playground and a place of adventure, many of these sites still exist today, but few remain unchanged.

I walk the estates with camera in hand pondering the past, finding triggers for events and memories, sometimes I arrive with the memory already focused with a plan, but at times it is just a walk of a well-trodden path. Some of the stories are light and funny, others troublesome and at times quite sinister, many of the images link together and form narratives about my life and the lives of others.

I initially use photography to capture the subject, once I have settled on an image and narrative, the preliminary image is drafted out, I work with fineliner pens to complete the drawings using red to punctuate the memory or to add to the narrative. The current body of work is based around my experiences of living on Avenham estate, Preston, Lancashire in the 70?s and 80?s.