Carbon Black
Having grown up in the 70’s, I thought I could find some old photographs from this time in my life but sadly, I have been unable to locate any and that makes me recall little moments that stand out in my vivid memory which helps me write this post.
From a young age I remember visiting my mother’s uncle Arthur in Tarpoley. He was my grandads brother and he had relocated from the North East to a large village in Cheshire. He lived in a cottage with an adjoining large garage that housed HGV wagons. Although I cannot remember the inside of the property all that well, I do remember the porch being filled with crane flies or as I call them daddy long legs, they were forever attracted by the outside light. To this day, I am not phased by these flying insects and I fondly rescue them if they ever fly into my own home. Uncle Arthur had a guard dog, an Alsatian known as Nip, and boy could he give a nasty nip to anyone who entered the site. My father tells me the story of how I used to sleep on Nip and one day my father went to pick me up and Nip growled at him so he left me continue sleeping in the protection of Nip.
So what has all this got to do with this series of work? Well its all connected. Uncle Arthur drove the wagons, he would transport the cargo to various destinations and I would get to ride up front in the cab. There was a space between the front seats where I could place a pillow and make a comfortable seating area. As a child, you can imagine the excitement riding upfront, I could see the world from a perfect view point.
Carbon Black
Carbon Black’ This series focuses on my love of fuel stations and the connection that they had on me as a child. Travelling in the cab of my great uncle’s HGV wagon. I have fond memories of that time and recall the smell of diesel, perhaps this is one reason why I am obsessed with petrol stations. As a child I did not know what he was transporting. And years later I was told it was carbon black.
Carbon black comes from long term exposure to sunlight leading to the degradation of surface materials resulting in a deterioration of physical properties, changes in color or chalking. It’s produced by the reaction of a hydrocarbon fuel such as oil or gas with a limited supply of combustion air at high temperatures. Usually obtained as soot from the partial combustion of hydrocarbons, and used principally as reinforcing agents in automobile tyres.
Photography can transform light and time into something physical and I am drawn to the way the light illuminates the surface of the forecourts, especially in the black of night. Statistics reveal that in 2020 the United Kingdom was home to 8,380 operational petrol stations and those under development. However, this landscape will change over time as we aim for a greener planet, eventually the petrol and diesel pumps will be replaced by electric charging points and all that will remain will be photographic evidence. Photography allows us to tell our story and shows others our framing of the world around us. As photographs play an important role in everyones life, one day these images may play a part in our legacy.
