Dean Grossmith

These are images from my Welbeck Street Car Park project. This car park was constructed in the early 70s to serve the shoppers of Debenhams in Oxford Street. It was designed by Michael Blampied & Partners and features an elaborate facade of prefabricated concrete.

Whilst still in use, the car park has fallen into neglect and approval was granted in August 2017 to demolish this magnificent building. Originally it was thought that a re-development of the existing building would not be possible due to the low ceiling heights. However, in October 2017, an architectural studio developed an alternative proposal to preserve the building's exterior. The purpose of these images is to provide a historical record of this building.

The use of black and white and a monotone red hue in this series of images is both symbolic and is used to emphasise form and structure. In particular, the use of monotone red instead of full colour has been used to suggest that new is not better than old.

The Dungeness series Decline was shot during three visits in 2019. This series looks at the Dungeness seascape which is located at the south eastern tip of England. Historically, this area was a thriving fishing location, but rising sea temperatures are being blamed for the disappearance of fish. Most fishermen have long departed and it's only a few hardy souls that eke out a living from fishing in this area.

He says: “I have visited this place on numerous occasions and it feels abandoned, isolated, cold and surreal. It’s got under my skin and I appreciate it for all these qualities that give it a hidden charm“

This series received a Honourable mention at the 2020 International Photography Awards in the Deeper Perspective category.

The Rhone Glacier series represents a departure from his usual monochrome work. It shows off the muted colours from this region in the Swiss Alps. These images were taken during a road trip in 2019 after a short hike from the Furka Pass.

He says: “When I arrived at the scene, my visual senses were overloaded by the patterns and the shapes.”

This series received a Honourable mention at the 2020 International Photography Awards in the Fine Art Landscape category.

This series Dreaming has been inspired by the beauty we are surrounded by in our own backyard during the current covid-19 lock down that has impacted roughly 50% of the world. It feels so surreal with no evidence of any crisis in our immediate surroundings.

The first three images in this series received a Honourable mention at the 2020 International Photography Awards in the Fine Art Landscape category.