A Holiday in Glenrothes
Sylvia chose in 2008 to holiday for a week in Scotland's former New Town of Glenrothes - an area considered by many Scots as uninteresting and unworthy of documentation.
Glenrothes was designed as a Modernist enterprise. During the 1960s new residences and businesses were built in public art and park-like settings throughout the town. The town flourished at the same time as the emergence of colour photography and the representation of the banal as a photo subject in artists books (William Eggleston's Guide {1972}; Stephen Shore's Uncommon Places {1976}) as such Sylvia decided she would adopt a system of photographic representation coinciding with these events.
The artist was curious to explore Glenrothes as if she were a late-1960s photographer of the commonplace, such as William Eggleston, Stephen Shore, Lewis Baltz, or Robert Adams. In her images there is an interplay between the familiar and the uncanny representation of the urban landscape.
Many of these images contradict how some Scots would 'see' Glenrothes, and reinforce the observation that it often takes a visitor to see what others take for granted. Just as in real time it is too easy to rush by the every day this work positions itself so the every day environment can cause the viewer pause and to regard the commonplace as extraordinary.
Sylvia chose in 2008 to holiday for a week in Scotland's former New Town of Glenrothes - an area considered by many Scots as uninteresting and unworthy of documentation.
Glenrothes was designed as a Modernist enterprise. During the 1960s new residences and businesses were built in public art and park-like settings throughout the town. The town flourished at the same time as the emergence of colour photography and the representation of the banal as a photo subject in artists books (William Eggleston's Guide {1972}; Stephen Shore's Uncommon Places {1976}) as such Sylvia decided she would adopt a system of photographic representation coinciding with these events.
The artist was curious to explore Glenrothes as if she were a late-1960s photographer of the commonplace, such as William Eggleston, Stephen Shore, Lewis Baltz, or Robert Adams. In her images there is an interplay between the familiar and the uncanny representation of the urban landscape.
Many of these images contradict how some Scots would 'see' Glenrothes, and reinforce the observation that it often takes a visitor to see what others take for granted. Just as in real time it is too easy to rush by the every day this work positions itself so the every day environment can cause the viewer pause and to regard the commonplace as extraordinary.
C-41 prints | 2008
Project reviews and citations
Bruce, Keith. ‘There could be a market for timeshares in Cumbernauld’ Main feature, Arts, UK Herald, July 18, 2008
Exhibition roundtable about ‘A Holiday in Glenrothes’ by Neil Baxter (Secretary of Royal Institute of Architects Scotland) on radio Talk 107, Edinburgh July 22, 2008
Harding, David. "Glenrothes is a shining example of the best attributes of new towns” in The Herald Scotland, March 11, 2012.
Bruce, Keith. ‘There could be a market for timeshares in Cumbernauld’ Main feature, Arts, UK Herald, July 18, 2008
Exhibition roundtable about ‘A Holiday in Glenrothes’ by Neil Baxter (Secretary of Royal Institute of Architects Scotland) on radio Talk 107, Edinburgh July 22, 2008
Harding, David. "Glenrothes is a shining example of the best attributes of new towns” in The Herald Scotland, March 11, 2012.
Artist discussion about the development of A Holiday in Glenrothes. Produced by the Scottish Civic Trust (2014)
https://vimeo.com/122963584
Project legacies
The Scottish Civic Trust in 2015 included Sylvia's series as part of its national curriculum. The project is cited as an example of how to observe and photograph the built environment. Sylvia also was invited to contribute and to develop a set of learning tutorials for young persons from ages 12 to 16.
https://vimeo.com/122963584
Project legacies
The Scottish Civic Trust in 2015 included Sylvia's series as part of its national curriculum. The project is cited as an example of how to observe and photograph the built environment. Sylvia also was invited to contribute and to develop a set of learning tutorials for young persons from ages 12 to 16.