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Skipsea, UK

Photograph
2012 (photographed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Carl De Keyzer began a career in freelance photography in 1982 whilst also working as a photography instructor at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent. He has exhibited widely in Europe and has been the recipient of awards including the Book Award from the Les Rencontres d’Arles, the W. Eugene Smith Award (1990) and the Kodak Award (1992). He became a full member of Magnum Photos in 1994. De Keyzer’s work often tackles large scale global issues such as overpopulation and natural disasters, which has taken him to countries such as India and the Soviet Union. In 2013 he was short-listed for the Prix Pictet photography prize for the series Moments before the Flood.

Moments before the Flood is a visual, photographic investigation into how Europe is coping with the imminent threat of rising sea levels as a result of global warming. The photographs in the series depict different areas of coastline that have become vulnerable to climate change. The photographs also capture the various forms of coastal protection that have been implemented in Europe throughout history and today. Of the coastline, De Keyzer writes:
“This is the zone in which the mainland no longer feels as ‘main’ as it once did, where the Old World is foundering and where the future is a threat to the past. The coast is the question mark of the mainland. And that’s what makes it such a fascinating subject for photographic research that tries to depict uncertainty. This project doesn’t just focus on a possible future hazard; it also takes in the various forms of coastal protection in Europe throughout history and how today Fortress Europe copes with other swells and floods”.

The photograph, Skipsea, documents a stretch of coastline in Skipsea, North Humberside, which is rapidly being eroded by the sea. A number of homes and gardens have already been lost, with more expected in the near future. The clifftops of the coastline are lined with caravan sites and holiday parks that are getting smaller each year as parts of the coastline crumble into the sea.



Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleSkipsea, UK (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Archival pigment print
Brief description
One photograph by Carl De Keyzer, 'Skipsea, UK', from the series 'Moments before the Flood', 2012, archival pigment print on fine art paper mounted on DiBond
Physical description
A colour photograph depicting a stretch of coastlinethat is being eroded by the sea. To the left of the image lies the beach and the ocean. To the right of the image lies the back gardens of houses close to the edge of the rocks.
Dimensions
  • Paper height: 109cm
  • Paper weight: 130cm
Credit line
Given by Roberto Polo
Object history
Acquired directly from the artist
Summary
Carl De Keyzer began a career in freelance photography in 1982 whilst also working as a photography instructor at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent. He has exhibited widely in Europe and has been the recipient of awards including the Book Award from the Les Rencontres d’Arles, the W. Eugene Smith Award (1990) and the Kodak Award (1992). He became a full member of Magnum Photos in 1994. De Keyzer’s work often tackles large scale global issues such as overpopulation and natural disasters, which has taken him to countries such as India and the Soviet Union. In 2013 he was short-listed for the Prix Pictet photography prize for the series Moments before the Flood.

Moments before the Flood is a visual, photographic investigation into how Europe is coping with the imminent threat of rising sea levels as a result of global warming. The photographs in the series depict different areas of coastline that have become vulnerable to climate change. The photographs also capture the various forms of coastal protection that have been implemented in Europe throughout history and today. Of the coastline, De Keyzer writes:
“This is the zone in which the mainland no longer feels as ‘main’ as it once did, where the Old World is foundering and where the future is a threat to the past. The coast is the question mark of the mainland. And that’s what makes it such a fascinating subject for photographic research that tries to depict uncertainty. This project doesn’t just focus on a possible future hazard; it also takes in the various forms of coastal protection in Europe throughout history and how today Fortress Europe copes with other swells and floods”.

The photograph, Skipsea, documents a stretch of coastline in Skipsea, North Humberside, which is rapidly being eroded by the sea. A number of homes and gardens have already been lost, with more expected in the near future. The clifftops of the coastline are lined with caravan sites and holiday parks that are getting smaller each year as parts of the coastline crumble into the sea.

Collection
Accession number
E.674-2015

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Record createdDecember 15, 2015
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