ROB BALL: DREAMLANDS
16 JUNE - 2 AUGUST 2015
20 April 2015
Print Sales’ Gallery presents Dreamlands, a new body of work by British
photographer Rob Ball. The project comprises a series of tintypes created on the
site of the disused Dreamland amusement park in Margate, Kent. It is a continued
exploration of Ball’s long standing interest in our interaction and inhabitation of
landscapes and spaces of leisure.
Located on England’s south-east coast, the site of the park was first used for
amusement rides as early as 1880 before establishing itself as Dreamland in 1920.
During the height of its popularity it was considered to be one of the UK’s bestloved amusement parks and a top tourist attraction. Years of steady decline in
visitors and a slow dismantling of iconic rides led to the park’s eventual closure in
2003. Plans to re-appropriate the site for housing purposes triggered a decade long
campaign to restore it back to a fully operational amusement park which will
reopen to the public in June 2015.
In 2013 Rob Ball began using tintypes to document the process of restoration as the
park was entering into its initial stages of reconstruction. Created in the 1860s around the same time the Dreamland site began being used as an entertainment
venue - the tintype process has strong historical links to the seaside where itinerant
photographers would set-up temporary studios offering family portraits to
weekend and holiday visitors.
Ball chose to use tintypes as a way of emphasising the physicality of the landscape
and its imperfections. Each time he visited he had to construct a temporary
darkroom in which the tintype was coated, sensitised, exposed, developed and fixed
in-situ. Each plate carries the evidence of the environment it was made in and of
the photographer himself. Dust, debris, fingerprints and even the quality of
daylight are all recorded on its surface, resulting in a unique object. Quiet and
contemplative, Ball’s images are devoid of human presence, revealing the passage
of time and decay alongside the process of rebuilding.
Presenting over twenty tintypes and silver gelatin prints the exhibition also features
original Dreamland memorabilia in the display. These include old signs, tickets,
pool balls, remnants of arcade machines, colour photographs taken when
Dreamland was first shut down and an original Victorian tintype taken in Margate.
Ball will also present recent work from New York City’s Coney Island theme park in
counterpoint to the Dreamland images. Using similar tintype techniques, Ball is
looking to trace the inspiration for Margate’s Dreamland and further extend his
investigation of historical coastal leisure sites.
Rob Ball said: I have childhood memories of going to Dreamland as a boy and
noting its decline and state of disrepair even then. Having spent the past two
years in the space, I do feel this series has become about restoration and the
restorative. Our image of Margate is one of repair rather than a renaissance –
something that was broken and slowly being put back together again. This, I
think, is echoed in my own work, where cracks, dust, the materiality and
vulnerability of each plate is tangible.
Contd.
Page 2 of 2
Prices start at £800 + VAT with unique tintypes and silver gelatin prints produced
in varying dimensions. Additional works from these series are available to view and
purchase on request.
To accompany the exhibition, we are holding a special tintype portrait event with
Rob Ball from 10:00 – 17:00 on 4 July 2015.
Notes for Editors
Rob Ball
Rob Ball (b. UK, 1977) is an artist and Deputy Director of SEAS Photography, Director of Obsolete
Studios / The Old Lookout and Senior Lecturer in Photography at Canterbury Christ Church
University, UK. He gained his MA in Photography at the University of the Arts, London in 2006.
Recent exhibitions include Dreamland at The Photographers' Gallery, 2015; Obsolete Studios,
Format Festival, Derby 2015 and 2013; Unremarkable Stories (publication), On Landscape #1,
Guest Projects, London 2014; Exchange, Illinois State University 2013; Obsolete Studios, Turner
Contemporary 2013; The Collected, Sidney Cooper Gallery, Canterbury 2013. His work is held in
the permanent collections of University of the Arts and The National Portrait Gallery.
www.robball.co.uk
Tintype Portrait Event
4 July 2015, 10:00 - 17:00
Booking recommended
Constructing a yurt on the pedestrianised section of Ramillies Street Rob Ball will offer 15 – 20
individuals the opportunity to purchase unique tintype portraits of themselves made on the day.
Portraits will be available to buy for £250 + vat or can be sent as digital versions free of charge.
Booking can be made via www.tpg.org.uk
Dreamlands Publication
To coincide with the exhibition Dewi Lewis will be publishing a selection of the Dreamlands
project. The publication will include postcards, still lives, interior and archive images and is
produced in a limited edition of 250.
Print Sales’ Gallery
Print Sales has been an integral part of The Photographers' Gallery since its opening in 1971,
supporting the public programme through sales of contemporary, modern, vintage, rare and
limited edition fine art prints.
Our expert team offers advice and support to all levels of collectors, corporates and public
institutions and present a series of unique selling exhibitions to deepen knowledge and
engagement with our thirty-five represented photographers including acclaimed artists Sebastião
Salgado, Elliott Erwitt and Jacques Henri Lartigue as well as new talent such as Simon Roberts,
Julie Cockburn, Luke Stephenson and Tom Butler.
We also produce special Gallery Editions, capitalising on our relationships with world-renowned
photographers, who donate often previously unavailable works for exclusive sale to support the
Gallery.
To see the full list of represented photographers and prints available for purchase please
visit www.thephotographersgallery.org.uk
Visitor Information
Opening times: Monday - Saturday, 10:00 - 18:00, Thursdays, 10:00 - 20:00,
Sunday 11:30 - 18:00
Admission: Free
Address: 16-18 Ramillies Street, London W1F 7LW
Nearest London Underground Station: Oxford Circus
T: + 44 (0)20 7087 9300
E: [email protected]
W: thephotographersgallery.org.uk
For further press information and to request images please contact:
Inbal Mizrahi on +44 (0)20 7087 9333 or email [email protected]
ROB BALL: DREAMLANDS
16 JUNE - 2 AUGUST 2015
Image 1
Rob Ball
Dreamland (Landscape), 2013- 2015
© Rob Ball
Courtesy of the artist and The Photographers’ Gallery
Image 2
Rob Ball
Scenic Railway North, 2013- 2015
© Rob Ball
Courtesy of the artist and The Photographers’ Gallery
Contd.
Page 2 of 2
For high-res press images and more information contact the Press Office. Call
Inbal Mizrahi on +44 (0)20 7087 9333 or email [email protected]
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