Birmingham City Centre: Business as Usual
Between the 16th of May and the 17th of September, 2015 I took a few photos. A bit of video too.
During this time Birmingham City Centre was undergoing something of a transformation, what with the redevelopment of New Street Station and Grand Central, the laying of tramlines between Snow Hill and New Street stations, the destruction of Paradise Circus and the Central Library, the Arena Central development on Broad Street, and general heating and electrical maintenance works thrown in for good measure. I became obsessed with documenting this tumultuous landscape using my pocket camera and later a microphone. This film is an attempt to convey through image, video and sound what it feels like to navigate the city centre at this time. A snapshot of an always restless city taken at a particularly noisy point in its endless cycle of destruction and renewal.
"Business As Usual" refers to the practice of businesses putting up temporary signs and banners to assure their customers that they can carry on shopping despite the chaos. Perhaps this could be adopted as the new city motto?
By Andy Howlett