SODLEY-ON-SEA
SODLEY-ON-SEA
CREDITS
The Great British seaside town: depicted as a place where the sun always shines, one can feast on jellied eels and 99p ice creams whilst lounging on a striped deck chair and the only form of transport is by donkey. This sunny stereotype is challenged by Mark Page (1967, UK) in his series Sodley-on-Sea, taking a satirical look at modern Britain in a fictional coastal town, which Page himself calls “the bastard love child of Martin Parr’s beach photos and the traditional Bamforth dirty postcard”.
Page creates the images by searching online for the elements, such as a fruit machine or brick wall, then printing and gluing them all together into a diorama. After photographing the sets in natural light, the constructions are destroyed. Sodley-on-Sea explores the idiosyncrasies and traditions of British life, from fly-tipping to hen parties, burger vans to remembrance services, all told with the tongue firmly in cheek.
