Architectural photography – In her photographic love letters to architecture, the British artist Soden captures the beauty of forgotten spaces across Europe
Lampoon introducing Gina Soden
Through layered, symmetrical, and textured photographs of buildings in disrepair, Gina Soden explores a multitude of concepts, feelings, and ideas, from the passing of time to the nostalgia for the beauty of bygone times.
«My work is a celebration of architecture, even though a lot of these places are falling down. I wouldn’t say I’m a documentary photographer, but I do, in a way, document the buildings before they get set on fire or they get demolished and never to be seen again. So it does feel like I have been keeping a record over the last 12 years I’ve been doing this». Soden explained
Gina Soden about becoming a photographer
Soden’s passion for photography began in adolescence when she first picked up her father’s film camera and APS camera. «I became engrossed in taking photos and then taking them down to Boots and developing them. I enjoyed that process. Then I got a digital camera with a computer when I was about 13, and it was two megapixels, which is crazy because my camera now has 46 megapixels. Soden recounted, «Photography gave me a sense of freedom».
After studying photography at Thames Valley University in London and time spent working as an employee, Soden decided to pursue her photography project full-time. Over the span of more than a decade, Soden’s work has been exhibited in galleries all over the globe, including CHARLIE SMITH LONDON and the Eleven Gallery in London, Artistics in Paris, the Fine Arts Society in London and her work is in 8 Soho Houses worldwide and in the permanent collection of The Ned Hotel, London
Soden was the Royal Windsor Photographic Society’s photograph of the year in 2010. She was awarded Emerging Artist of the Year three years later in the National Open Art Competition. In 2014, the British photographer won the first prize in The Naylor Award for the Finest Photograph in The National Open Art Competition.
Her photograph Les Histoires won the Secret Art Prize in 2016, and her picture, Albero in Fabbrica, was featured by the Royal Academy of Arts (RA) in their Summer Exhibition 2022. Soden is the 2023 winner of the Teresa Knowles Bursary award.
A game of opposites – symmetry and decay, spontaneity and research
Inspired by the work of German photographer Candida Höfer and American director and screenwriter Wes Anderson, the artist’s pursuit of symmetry, visual depth, and technical rigor characterize Soden’s photography. «My approach is technical. I’m always thinking about composition and how I imagined the scene to look in the final print. But these locations are quite unpredictable. I don’t know what will be there when I turn up because the location could have decayed much more, one part of the room might have been destroyed, or it might not be possible to access that part. I always have to keep those things in mind.. I have to be flexible». The photographer explained
Soden’s distinctive visual style gives her photographs a multifacetedness generated by the contrast between the stylistic approach and the photographs’ subjects: buildings in disarray morphed by chaos and neglect. «I’m obsessed with symmetry, so I photograph things in the middle of the room and then make sure everything’s straight, so there’s order within the disorder. Because these rooms are quite chaotic at times, with lots of texture and interesting things going on». This approach is represented in her 2014 photo ‘Klinik’, where the visual chaos given by the crumbling wall paint’s texture and the intricacy of the interior is balanced by the steadiness provided by the use of a window as a frame and the color palette.
Born out of Soden’s passion for architecture and travel, the British artist’s photographs of abandoned structures are made possible by Soden’s expensive research of the panorama of derelict budding in her regions of interest.
Gina Soden creation process – from concept to picture
The artist can gather inspiration from specific architectural elements or start with a photo shoot and decide how she wishes to move forward with the images. As traveling abroad is a component of the creation of Soden’s works, after the research process is concluded, the artist plans work trips centered around visiting the locations she plans on photographing.
«When I do the research, I plan a rough itinerary. I establish points A, B, and point C, and I figure out how much time I will have in each place and how long it will take to access the building. That’s because to access some of them, you have to climb many fences, sneak in and do lots of walking. Then other times, you can park up right outside and just walk in the front door because it’s a church in the middle of nowhere, and that’s about it. I always allow more time, and then I plan a sort of a big map and a big route. I never know where I’m sleeping, and I never plan where to eat or rest».
To give herself time to recover from the trips, which are ample in time, the photographer pauses her creation process and process with editing at a later time.
Gina Soden – visiting decaying and uninhabited buildings all over Europe
«I come back home after long trips, and I probably won’t look at the photos again for months or months unless I’ve got a project in mind or a gallery is asking for something specific. Because that time is the recovery from the trip, as they are so all-encompassing and exhausting that I have to push it aside, and then I return to the images later, and then I start editing».
Between getting into the shooting location, choosing the composition, shooting, editing, and printing, the photographer estimates that a single image takes about a day. «I wouldn’t fly to a country just for one location. I make a big trip out of it. Because you’ve got to look after the environment». Gina Soden explained.
Visiting decaying and uninhabited buildings all over Europe because of her photography work allowed the British artist to see with her own eyes the extent of the phenomenon of abandoned, unoccupied buildings amid a housing crisis. «It’s just such a horrendous crime that so many of these places are just being left to decay because it’s so expensive for them to renovate the building, and they’d rather than let it fall down and be demolished as the land is so valuable. We think of space and home in terms of monetary value. That’s sad because there’s a real human need for that».
Gina Soden’s current and upcoming exhibitions
At CHARLIE SMITH LONDON, open until 30th June by appointment only.
Gramercy Park Studios
25 Great Pulteney Street
London
W1F 9LT
Gina Soden
British photographer specialised in architectural photography.
