Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Photography Centre, Room 101, The Sir Elton John and David Furnish Gallery

White Goods

Photograph
2007-2008 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Sarah Pickering's series 'Incident' documents the spaces used by fire fighters during training exercises. The abandoned rooms create eerie spaces for the viewer to occupy. Pickering's images of burnt out rooms are textured with soot and ashes, and printed as entirely matt photographs. At first glance, the viewer might find it difficult to discern whether this image, 'White Goods', is in fact a photograph or a charcoal drawing.


Object details

Category
Object type
TitleWhite Goods (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Fibre based gelatin silver print mounted on Heritage Museumboard (2.2 mm)
Brief description
Photograph by Sarah Pickering, 'White Goods', from the series 'Incident', 2007/2008.
Physical description
Black and white matt photograph of white goods burnt by a fire.
Dimensions
  • Image height: 124.5cm
  • Image length: 149.5cm
Gallery label
  • The pristine whiteness suggested by the title of this work contrasts with the charred appearance of the household appliances. This photograph is from Pickering's series Incident, which depicts environments used by fire fighters for training exercises. The eerie artificial domestic space reflects the trauma experienced after real-life house fires. The destructive, unpredictable nature of fire is controlled in these simulated situations. (15/06/2023)
  • Pickering's series Incident documents the spaces used by fire fighters during training exercises. The abandoned rooms create eerie spaces for the viewer to occupy. Pickering's images of burnt out rooms are textured with soot and ashes, and printed as entirely matt photographs. At first glance, the viewer might find it difficult to discern whether this image, White Goods, is in fact a photograph or a charcoal drawing.(2009)
Credit line
Purchased with the support of Mr and Mrs Eric Franck and assistance from Meessen De Clercq, Brussels
Summary
Sarah Pickering's series 'Incident' documents the spaces used by fire fighters during training exercises. The abandoned rooms create eerie spaces for the viewer to occupy. Pickering's images of burnt out rooms are textured with soot and ashes, and printed as entirely matt photographs. At first glance, the viewer might find it difficult to discern whether this image, 'White Goods', is in fact a photograph or a charcoal drawing.
Collection
Accession number
E.258-2009

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdJune 8, 2009
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest