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News & Updates

 

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About.....

 

About Mechanical Landscapes

Mechanical Landscapes is an unsophisticated fusion of my interests in black and white photography urbex, mechanical engineering and the industrial landscape. My other website theviewfromthenorth.org has been online since 2007, and out of that large body of work has emerged several themes. The logical consequence of all that is this website, which I like to think of as a portfolio of my better work and a showcase for my newer work.

I won’t pretend that there’s some clever, conceptual theme or statement behind all this. There isn’t, and I’ve no agenda, but you’re welcome to come to your own conclusions. It’s all a work in progress - I’ve been photographing industry and the industrial landscape for many years and I don’t feel the need to stop just yet. I see this as somewhere between a body of work and a very long term (maybe indefinite) project. Please come back for a revisit soon, I’ll probably have added a few more pictures from wherever I’ve been wandering….

About Me - Andy marland

I don't have much in the way of formal artistic training (which probably shows through in my photographs) as I'm an engineer by education and profession (which probably shows through in my photographs). My life has been spent living and working in the industrial landscape of Lancashire, forever staying, as David Plowden would say "one step ahead of the wrecking ball", both as a photographer and in my engineering career. My photography is a reflection of this - I'm both an insider looking out, and an outsider looking in. I've spent my life naively figuring out ways round my own perceived limitations (usually doing things the hard way) and I've spent the past few years experimenting my way through four solo exhibitions, twenty five (and counting) 90 minute talks on my photography at camera clubs across the north of England and am on the second edition of my self published book 'Shadows of the North'. I've also had the privilege of being commissioned to photograph London Road Fire Station using the Samsung Galaxy S7 as part of the launch for O2 in the UK. 

My aim is not just to present a record of the places I visit, but to present a 'creative treatment of actuality', a term coined by the Scottish filmmaker John Grierson. Black and white photography is a medium which allows me more leeway to express something beyond just "I was here, this is what I saw".

I also do a bit of writing, something else I've a lifelong love of but precious little talent for. But I persist - my main blog is at blog.mechanicallandscapes.com and there's also a few more in-depth articles on this area of my website - www.mechanicallandscapes.com/articles.

I hope you enjoy the photographs on Mechanical Landscapes, please leave me any feedback (good or bad) via my contact page.

Publications
Amateur Photographer, 31st January 2009, 4th June 2011
Urban Realm, Brymbo Ironworks, Summer 2012
Lancashire Magazine, Accrington Conservative Club, January 2014
BBC News Online - March 2014, Backbarrow Ironworks magazine article (click here)

Independent Online - 18th March 2016, London Road Fire Station (click here)
Manchester Evening News (print and online)– 20th March 2016, London Road Fire Station (click here)

Professional Image Maker - February/March 2019 (click here)

Black and White Photography Magazine issue 277 (April / May 2023) (click here)
 

Exhibitions
August - October 2014, Ebb and Flo Bookshop, Chorley

October 2014 - January 2015, Georgian House, Bolton (courtesy of the Lancashire Monochrome group)

February 2015, Helmshore Mills Textile Museum

June - December 2015, Queen Street Mills Textile Museum

November - December 2017, Saddleworth Museum and Art Gallery

November - December 2019, Astley Hall, Chorley

September - October 2020, Peak District Lead Mining Museum

Commercial
O2 - Samsung Galaxy S7 launch <- link to press release.

 
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talks

June 2023 update: I am taking a break from doing talks for a while, but I will be honouring my current commitments. I’ll update this section when I resume.

 

Upcoming talks

I am delighted to have been invited to speak at the following clubs on these dates:

-Rushcliffe Photographic Society, Monday 10th June 2024 (online talk)

Recent talks

-Trowbridge Camera Club, Thursday 6th January 2022 (online talk)

-Wallasey Amateur Photographic Society, Tuesday 11th January 2022 (online talk)

-Newent Camera Club, Tuesday 18th January 2022 (online talk)

-York Camera Club, Thursday 20th January 2022 (online talk)

-Barnstaple Camera Club, Thursday 3rd February 2022 (online talk)

-Dyffryn Ogwen Camera Club, Wednesday 16th February 2022 (online talk)

-Reading Camera Club, Friday 4th March 2022 (online talk)

-Dorchester Camera Club, Monday 21st March 2022 (online talk)

-Weymouth Camera Club, Tuesday 29th March 2022 (online talk)

-Gwent Photographic Society, Thursday 7th April 2022 (online talk)

-Manningtree and District Photographic Society, Thursday 28th April 2022 (online talk)

-SRGB, Tuesday 3rd May 2022

-Swansea Camera Club, Monday 18th July 2022 (online talk)

-Rushden and District Photographic Society, Tuesday 20th September 2022 (online talk)

-Parkstone Camera Club, Wednesday 16th November 2022 (online talk)

-Southwick Camera Club, Thursday 8th December 2022 (online talk)

-Sevenoaks Camera Club, Monday 16th January 2023 (online talk)

-Malling Photographic Society, Tuesday 31st January 2023 (online talk).

-Birkenhead PA, Wednesday 29th March 2023 (in-person)

-RPS Visual Arts Group Conference, 15th April 2023 (in-person)

-Harpenden Photographic Society, Tuesday 6th June 2023 (online talk)

-Lancaster Photographic Society, Monday 26th February 2024 (in-person)

 

Exhibitions

I have successfully held five solo exhibitions at a number of venue across Lancashire. Please contact me if you are interested in hosting an exhibition, using some of my work, or would like to hold a joint exhibition - I have access to a large number of frames. I'm also happy to pass on some of my hard earned experiences if you are holding your own exhibition!

Ebb and Flo Bookshop, Chorley

August - September 2014

 

Helmshore Mills Textile Museum

16th February - 1st March 2015

Queen Street Mills Textile Museum, Burnley

6th June - 1st December 2015

Saddleworth Museum and Art Gallery

11th November - 4th December 2017

ASTLEY HALL, CHORLEY

16th November - 22nd December 2019

Peak District Lead Mining Museum, Matlock Bath

6th September - 12th October 2020