Picture © Mark Cowper
Picture Preview – Ethelburga Tower: At Home in a High-rise, Photographs by Mark Cooper, Geffrye Museum, London, until August 31 2009.
Questions of self-expression, identity and the atomisation of contemporary society are all raised by Mark Cowper's latest exhibition of photography, which documents the interiors of 46 apartments in his Battersea residence, Ethelburga Towers.
It also, let's face it, offers the voyeuristic thrill of peering into other people's homes without the potential embarrassment of getting caught in the act – perhaps picking up some nifty interior design tips along the way.
Residents of the Towers allowed Cowper to capture their homes as he found them, with little or no time to tidy up. He removed nothing from the scene (apart from objects that prevented him setting up his camera in the same place each time) and left it up to the inhabitants whether they wanted to appear in shot or not.
The result is an intriguing portrait of modern life and how we choose to live it. To eyes used to the glossy unreality of home interiors as presented in magazines and Sunday supplements, these naturally-lit images are an invigorating breath of fresh air.
Picture © Mark Cowper
Picture © Mark Cowper
"There are a total of 98 flats in the block," reports Cowper. "I shot 45 of the 68 that face east and west, and one that faces south as a test to see the difference in light and room size."
Picture © Mark Cowper
Picture © Mark Cowper
Cowper spent a year taking the photographs, approaching his neighbours individually and assuring them that he wished to represent their homes as "found" spaces, with no styling or movement of their possessions.
Picture © Mark Cowper
Picture © Mark Cowper
Ethelburga Tower, a 15-story reinforced tower block, was built in 1967 on a World War Two bombsite. Thanks to the Thatcher government's Right to Buy scheme, 90% of the block is now privately owned, resulting in a variable social mix of residents.
Picture © Mark Cowper
