Introduction
The River Medlock - Manchester's only inner-city river runs for approximately for ten miles from the hills of Oldham near the Strinesdale area into and through the city centre. Once used as a source for industry, the river helped provide power, sanitation and transportation methods for factories and industry which in early Manchester were dotted around the river's edge. The Medlock passes through multiple different areas of greater Manchester both rural and habited, travelling under Manchester Piccadilly train station (formally London Road station), through culverts in the city centre and under Oxford Road. Eventually meeting up with the River Irwell. Along the Medlock, particularly within the city it is littered with historical buildings, such as The Principal Hotel, formally the Refuge Assurance building and UMIST (University of Manchester science industry and technology). The Medlock's story is bathed in Mancunian historical significance that has helped shape the city centre as we see it today.
With the rising need for inner city living and increase in skyscraper style office buildings and apartments, many are being constructed along or near the water's edge, especially in the Oxford Road, Medlock Street and Castlefield areas. These new structures tower over the river and provide fascinating insight into modern day culture of a city and the hidden meandering river that flows through mostly unnoticed.
This project will aim to tell a narrative of the River Medlock through the medium of photography, an interview with a local YouTuber who has first-hand experience of the river and created their own mini-series, and a short documentary following the river from it's start and looking into one of Manchester's grandest buildings The Principal Hotel and one of the newest.
The six images will show how the Medlock from its start to it's meeting with the Bridgewater canal in Castlefield. Three images will be in black and white, a choice made to add character and mood to places usually seen in vibrant colours. The interview with Martin Zero, a YouTube creator who focuses on Manchester’s hidden history, will learn what made him start creating the videos he does and hear his experience with the River Medlock. The final piece, the short documentary will look at the Medlock's start and map its journey into the city. Taking a closer look into The Principal Hotel, it's history and the new Deansgate Square complex close to Castlefield, Manchester’s tallest building.
Podcast - Martin Zero
Image Gallery
A picturesque location on the outskirts of Oldham. Taken in colour and edited into black and white to bring out the whites of the sunlight, aiming to show the river close to its start as it cuts through the countryside towards Manchester. Here the river is juvenile, slow and quiet and at this point it isn’t very broad. However, it is still the main focal point and the natural flow is evident. The outcome is a nostalgic feel which is a stark contrast to how the river ends once it reaches the River Irwell in the city.
Here the Medlock runs in a culvert under the canal towards the city centre. This view gave the perfect opportunity to use reflection photography techniques. Inspired by Rena Pearl's urban photography, Rena used urban landscapes and reflective techniques to show areas that people wouldn’t usually consider attractive but can be stunning in their own right with the right framing and light.
The idea was to capture the rivers direction as it cuts through the city loosely using the rule of thirds. Showing how nature still plays a part around the waters edge and highlighting the autumnal colours on one side, the textured red/brown coloured brickwork and various building styles. Using sloping rooves in the background to guide the eyes to the future path of the river and the encroaching banks to the left and towering buildings to the right, guide the eyes down river. The varied number of windows demonstrate just how individual and unique each building is.
Taken in colour and edited into black and white to show age and texture. Making use of the natural frame of the railway arch to direct the story of this photograph along the river Medlock, exploring the various depths and shadows within the water, under the bridge and walkway which joins the two sides of the river together and towards the bright white Edwardian Baroque style India House in the background.
The details in the terracotta brickwork from the magnificent Principal Hotel although can’t be seen as a colour but the details and shadows bring the walls to life. The arch retains details but only noticeable upon closer inspection to not take away from the main attraction, the Medlock. Inspiration was taken from Julia Gospodarou's Silent Storm. A photograph capturing London through a natural frame of an archway. In black and white, the mood is set, the buildings stand out and the sky is imposing.
This area formed the inspiration for the whole project, brought to my attention by amateur photographer and content creator Martin Zero. My aim was to show the river and how it is towered over by the tall glass buildings and flows alongside local sandstone brick walls.
My decision to use a black and white photography style was to ensure the balance between colours and contrasts and not detract from the river. I wanted a noticeable space between the two glass buildings to signify the river goes beyond this point. Although the river is dwarfed by the tall structures it is still the most important element of the picture, new buildings built around Manchester’s only inner-city waterway.
The use of a reflective technique was my priority, the aim was to capture light in two different ways. The lighting from the building and street furniture and the reflective light on the water. I used an exposure of 4 seconds to make the most of the colours whilst still leaving enough of the moving water. Post production editing was used to bring out some of the colours but also to reduce the amount of reds and oranges in the shot as they were overpowering on the quay side.
Slight editing was done to remove moving parts such as people to keep the image looking still apart from the moving water. In this shot, the choice to capture what I deemed to be the most important feature in this area, the river and canal, aiming to make the main focal point the reflections.