#The cat distribution system can be very wonky at times

[atherflame-theconcubus]

The cat distribution system glitched and gave Callaway a tiny murderer that is very catlike.

No, the cat distribution system worked out perfectly, Callaway was meant to receive the murderer, the ones who were meant to receive the cat is the cat like murderer.

[raygoodwinmajournal]

Epochal Territories Shoot #6* - 30/12/2020

* = shot on film before on shoots 3 & 4

Colerne might be a quaint village in Wiltshire bordering on the outskirts of Bath, but at the epicentre of the village is what used to be RAF Colerne, but but known as Azimghur Barracks. Situated in North Colerne, there is a distinct difference between the elderly limestone cottages and the barrack-style housing estates for those stationed at the camp. The site was closed as an RAF base in 1976 and immediately was gained control by The Army, with only the RAF briefly coming back in 1993. Now the site is primarily used for military communications and home to the 21st Signal Regiment, which is the only regiment to support the RAF. 

As is the norm now, I track my walks to keep a tab of my mileage and step count. This is so I know how much I have walked during the week, which includes walks and going out for runs. This particular walk was 5.3 miles around the airfield with the in-laws, which was a very interesting experience hearing a lot about the history of the camp. Despite the length, it was an enjoyable walk which I could have replicated again and again. I had ventured towards North Colerne a week before this, but I shot film that time and I wanted to replicate some of the images digitally. However this time, I went in another direction and gathered a few more images. The 5D was again around my neck with the Yongnuo 35mm F2, stopped down to F11 and the ISO set to 400. The shutter speed ranged from 1/40s to 1/250s depending on the light and shadows. 

The water tower can be seen for miles and can be used as a navigational beacon when walking around the area. The first thing one notices is the very brutalist design, with harsh straight lines and a bare concrete steel reinforced structure. The tower acts as a brutalist monolith that sticks out above everything else, with a second similarly designed tower a number of miles away. The above picture shows some closer detail of the tower, situated at the Rugby Club, and below close to a set of allotments. I feel that the tower creates a stark contrast between the wintery trees, wonky sheds and shows how altered the landscape is, rather blatantly. 

“prohibited place

this is a prohibited place within the meaning of the official secrets act - unauthorised persons entering the area may be arrested and prosecuted 

keep out”

Moving further up the road, the aspects of the airfield become more visible. The control tower and warning sign tells one that this is a military site (sign transcript above). The 1989 Official Secrets Act is set in regard to espionage and spying, creating an offence to disclose any official information without lawful authority. More and more, the military aspects of the village become more clear, and the feeling of unease grows stronger. The airfield is visible from the road, and the poorly kept hedge which is extremely thin, and it is a barren flat land of unused airfield. At this time of year, there is very little to no activity on the camp and it almost looks as if it’s abandoned. The only thing one can hear is distant road noise and the wind blustering past you. I find it strange how RAF bases and military establishments seem to pop up in the middle of the country side, and just like a motorway they are completely anonymous in their location - they could be anywhere if you removed any link to it’s whereabouts. 

Numerous crash gates litter the perimeter of the camp. Crash gates can be found at high security facilities such as army bases, airports and correctional facilities. In the event of an air crash, these gates are designed to be ran into by fire and rescue vehicles, with the hinges specifically made to break on impact. In 1973, a C-130 Hercules crashed during take-off due to an engine failure, killing all five crew members (on the other side of where these are, towards Lucknam Park). It is a chilling thing to know that a plane crashed in a certain location almost 50 years ago, with no remnants of it happening. My Mother in-law mentioned she remembered it happening whilst she was at school, notably the explosion and the fire. Below is a distribution substation, which distributes electricity to a certain area that needs power. This could power electric fences, camera systems and the aforementioned crash gates. 

Walking further along, the camp becomes more and more visible, with hangars and entrances making their appearances. On the far left middle of the top photograph is a water tank my Father in-law made almost 30 years ago, taking three days work to put together. I found it interesting to see something that he had built, and stood the test of time. I find the aspect of the military base to be somewhat estranging, because of the military presence in the area making one feel to be uneased with the high barbed wire fences, armed guard situated in tiny boxes and satellite dishes communicating messages. Further down this road it becomes more of a wooded area along the outskirts of the airfield, which my Father in-law mentioned that when he was young, there used to be a pile of plane wreckage where they had scrapped aircraft including DC-10s and even a de Havilland Mosquito.

After a bloody great hill, we made our way towards Pinewood and North Colerne, where the vast majority of military personnel live who work at the camp, with a percentage of the houses being sold off for private use. Mostly terraced properties, they are surprisingly large houses which have the odd detached or semi-detached offering. Some of the architecture changes depending on the location, varying from brick and mortar to a cinderblock construction, with the latter being rather bleak due to their grey nature. The quietness is shattered by the noise of screaming children and distant chatter, but the wind still blows creating a still but anxious atmosphere. I felt odd walking around a military housing estate with a camera, and wanted to take a photo and move along as fast as possible. 

I was drawn to these houses, because the flat land the airfield is placed upon almost seems unending, and the houses seem incredibly drab and bleak, which is extenuated by the pandemic. The houses on the top row take the drab and bleak prize, as they seem to barely get any sunlight due to the four small windows on the first floor. The image below made me metaphorically kick myself, because I wanted to explore North Colerne for Mileage May Vary, but ran out of time. And I wish I had, because sitting sadly was an Alfa Romeo 164, a particularly rare car in the U.K when it was new, and thanks to the ever unreliable nature of them they dwindled to a handful. I also feel that the Alfa adds to the stark mise en scène of the alienating military housing, as its depilated and grubby. My mother law mentioned that a lot of these houses are filled with damp and gave children numerous ailments due to the poor condition of the housing.

Transcript:

cinder block houses bearing down airfield active army base stationed here military communications radar signals to and fro covert government encryption technology run down housing estate for military families playfield basketball hoop for MOD use only aircraft nearby c130 buried in the trees burned wreckage dressed bus stop this used to be an RAF base pivotal aspect of the war spitfire were here once now its digital warfare big red button launch codes obliterated in a matter of moments we will not hesitate to attack if provoked warheads nuclear programmes thousands of times more powerful the fatman retaliation and attack imminent hide under tables and kitchen tables find a shelter cinder block houses

A coda. I found this to be on par in terms of alienating landscapes as Saltram House. This time, the quietness wasn’t disturbed by physical noise, but the background metaphorical underlying buzz of military presence, air crashes and poor housing filled with damp walls and ill children. There was a feeling of unease especially when in the housing area of the camp, with the barbed wire fences surrounding the eerily quite base which is usually a hive of activity. The history of the base is also fascinating to me, as I enjoy learning about the history of areas and have an active interest in aviation history. RAF Colerne/Azimghur Barrack is rich in history stemming from the Second World War to current day.

I am extremely happy with the images I have created, and I am thoroughly enjoying shooting digitally and monochromatically. I feel that I have perfected how I want my work to be aesthetically, in regards to the tonality of the photograph and composition. My only concern is the 5D’s age, and my attempts to find out the shutter count failed miserably, with my camera acting as a form of Schrodinger's Cat. Not knowing the shutter count on a 13 year old digital camera is unnerving, but I have every confidence that it is below Canon’s 100,000 actuation expectancy. Previously mentioned is that I had shot this location a week before, but with the Mamiya 7ii with in colour and B&W. These shall be developed at a later date and shall be uploaded here when they are developed. For now, I am happy to continue to shoot digitally and emulate the look and feel of HP5+, which to me preference is perfect for me, as it contains a good amount of shadow and highlight detail with turning into a horrid HDR mess which usually floods the front page of Flickr. The added noise of the 5D’s older sensor is also rather organic whilst shooting B&W, so I don’t mind the noise either. For once, I am happy to shoot digital over analogue.

Bibliography

Colerne - airfields of Britain conservation trust UK (no date). [Online]. Available at https://www.abct.org.uk/airfields/airfield-finder/colerne/. [Accessed on 31/12/2020] Crash of a Lockheed C-130K Hercules at RAF colerne: 5 killed (no date). [Online]. Available at https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-lockheed-c-130k-hercules-raf-colerne-5-killed. [Accessed on 31/12/2020]