Letchworth
A Dystopian Vision Artworks from the video installation by John Vincent
Letchworth : A Dystopian Vision Artwork Book CREDITS Photography, Artwork and Design by John Vincent Š 2015 Proofreading: Catherine Turner Version 1.3 Further information: www.johnvincent.co.uk Not to be reproduced or distributed without written permission.
Introduction In 2014 Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation organised the ‘Vision of Utopia’ exhibition. I was involved in the public programme of this exhibition inviting members of the public to take part in the Dystopian Vision - a Letchworth placed in an alternative world where climate change had wreaked havoc on the environment and transformed the landscape from green to desert. In response to the exhibition brief the town of today became the archive for this future world. Filmed against a green screen, participants were placed in around the scenes depicted in this book. These artworks were used as backdrops and digital props in the film. Here I have presented the original locations on which they were based in a side by side comparison and included thumbnails of how the artworks were layered for video.
Arcade Scene The scene is layered with the background removed adding the pub behind in its approximate position.
Broadway Scene An additional image was added in the form of a clock - as if fallen - from above another building (out of view) on the Broadway.
Cinema Scene In this scene, a layer was added to allow participants to walk in to the cinema.
Ebenezer Scene Transformation of the front of the supermarket and car park area into the new shoreline of the country. Video of sea merged with photo artwork during editing.
Shopping Centre Scene Here, the background is removed and phone box layered to incorporate a participant within.
Crop of the layer used for the phone box.
Spirella Scene The iconic Letchworth building reduced to ruins in this future depiction.
Unused Scene : Old Letchworth Museum I would like to have used this scene but ran out of time. This former archive would have been an apt choice by emphasising the project theme of using the Letchworth of now as archive for the future.
Unused Scene : St George’s Church The project was originally inspired by ‘The Planet Of The Apes’ end scene, and I needed to find a Letchworth equivalent to the Statue of Liberty. I could not make this work as well, so it was left out and replaced with the Ebenezer scene.
Letchworth
A Dystopian Vision