Following the tradition of an Urban Dérive I took to the streets one evening, my task was to follow my local tube line - on foot - any direction - for the next 4 stops. I started at St James's Park Station, it was that quiet time of night, after peak hour, in an area that is bounded mostly by offices & the retail that supports it. There were few people left on the streets & the roads were quiet.
Opened on 24 December 1868, the station was incorporated into the Grade I listed building '55 Broadway' in the late 1920's & is the current home to the headquarters of Transport for London.
Standing on the corner of Petty France & Broadway the decision to travel left or right was guided by the lights of the Abbey, therefore the next destination was Westminster. Walking down Tothill Street the Abbey can be viewed directly, Victoria Tower stands behind it on the right, it's one of those unexpected London views.
Underground Stop 2: Westminster
Westminster Station, the entrance belies the cavernous interior where banks of escalators hang from a dynamic network of flying concrete beams and steel tubes.
From Westminster the natural progression was along Embankment following the Circle & District lines east. Natural distractions abounded but the pink neon lights showcasing the newly relocated New Scotland Yard caught my eye, this used to be on Broadway opposite the St James's Park tube station. It should really be called the 'new, New Scotland Yard'; musings in the night!
Embankment Station sits under the Hungerford & the cable stayed Golden Jubilee Bridges, this busy city hub links the overground rail between Waterloo East & Charing Cross & pedestrians from Embankment to Waterloo & Southbank.
Following the line of the river I continue east, on the street are a few runners & tourists squeezing in one more photo in between the parked up buses, The night time rumblings from the major works on the Victorian sewers shatters the usually serene magic on this stretch.
Passing under Waterloo Bridge & Somerset House a deserted Temple Station named for its proximity to the precinct of the Knights Templar marks the end of this evening dérive.
I chose to shoot hand held due to the sensitivity of photographing around underground stations & in Transport for London zones, these have restrictions such as no tripods as well as security concerns. This restriction precluded my 1st choice of shooting in daylight, on a tripod, with a slow shutter speed during peak hour to capture the blur of outpouring commuters. My 2nd choice was in the vein of Brassaï’s 'excursions into the dark streets of Paris' works. The 'noise' resulting from the high ISO needed for hand held exposures taken at night led me to using the final warm monotone finish which worked with the noise or grain & is also often used as a representation of the past .
Bibliography
Temple: (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple,_London). Brassaï: born Gyula Halász 1899 (https://bonjourparis.com/history/paris-photographers-brassai-the-transylvanian-eye/)
Dérive and Psychogeography: Developed by French Situationalist philosopher Guy Debord in 1958, Debord used this technique to study architecture and the urban environment. Dérive is a technique of rapid passage through varied surroundings. A 'drifter' explores the built environment (the concrete jungle) without preconceptions. Derive in an Urban Setting: Situationists found contemporary architecture both physically and ideologically restrictive, combining with outside cultural influence, effectively creating an undertow, and forcing oneself into a certain system of interaction with their environment. From a derive point of view, cities have psychogeographical contours, with constant currents, fixed points and vortexes that strongly discourage entry into or exit from certain zones. Psycho geography: the study of specific effects of the geographical environment, consciously organized or not on the emotions and behaviors of individuals. (Source: https://www.slideshare.net/Prof_Rawlslyn/understanding-derivepsychogeography)
Credits:
©CorinRossouw