Twenty-Five Views of Southampton Docks

This series explores Southampton Docks’ involvement in creating the city we know today. Through commenting on current social-political issues, the impact of the docks throughout history, and how my own story is intertwined, there's clear documentation of the various ways different people interact with the docks daily.

This project's core is portraying Southampton Docks’ personal impact on my life. Throughout my childhood, I'd drive through the docks to pick up my uncle or father from work and always found it a fascinating place. Sitting somewhere to look at the docks is now something I do when I'm stressed and need comfort. In addition, through completing this series, I researched my own family history and learned that most men in my family, dating back to the construction of the docks, either worked on the ships or in the docks themselves. It was crucial to reflect on the impact the docks have had on my family and demonstrate that this is likely the reality for many families living in Southampton.

 The desire to demonstrate how people's interactions regarding a dominating aspect of a landscape can change depending on their environment was also paramount for this project. Southampton has distinct areas where it is either deprived or more affluent. Upon research into the docks' history, it's believed that the development of Southampton Docks has influenced the divide in the city and, ultimately, the social-political issues which are now present. For example, the deprived areas of the city face poverty and high pollution levels from the docks and are the parts of the city where the workers lived during the expansion of the docks.