Ranni Samuda Tank Crossings
The vast chalk expanses of Salisbury Plain stretch across 300 square miles in the South of England. Around 150 square miles of this unique landscape is owned by the Ministry of Defence, making the plain the largest military training area in the UK which has been used as an arena in preparation for conflict since 1897. Salisbury plain is also an area of conservation, home to Stonehenge and other archaeological sites as well as many rare breeds of wildlife and an abandoned village. It is estimated that British and overseas military spend some 600,000-man days on the plain every year. Despite that, this monumental landscape is shared between the MoD, archaeologists, hikers, local dog walkers and grazing livestock. Inspired by Bernd and Hiller Becher, I have created a typographical study of the tank crossings used by the military to cross over the public byways on Salisbury Plain. Live firing is conducted on the plain for roughly 340 days out of the year but the military invasion of this landscape is often subtle, you could walk for miles and only see the dirt roads that stretch across the plain, the tracks left by armoured vehicles or the signs warning visitors of the risks of unexploded shells. But when the red flags are down, and you follow the paths photographed, the manoeuvres can be heard ever so slightly in the distance. On a clear day, training soldiers can be spotted on the horizon of the impassable ‘Impact Area’. You may even be greeted by an artillery gun or armoured vehicles moving across the grasslands.
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