Did it depress you, Ingrid, as much as it depresses me, knowing it was where you were born? Did Holga cry?

anniedog: It did make me feel a little melancholy, but as I had no memories of the place, I felt curiously detached. Holga put a brave face on!
Ingrid

All very meaningful Ingrid. If I was doing this series I would have ended where (I think) I was conceived

anniedog: I didn't want to go as far back as conception, Chris! In fact I've never asked my parents where I was conceived, perish the thought!
Ingrid

I think Chris's comment is spot on ... or does he mean born.

richard

anniedog: I rather hope he meant born - conception is a step too far!
Ingrid

I don't want to even think about Chris being conceived

Makes you hope you aren't ever famous enough for them to put a blue plaque up here.

anniedog: Well you never know Bill - one day it might say Ingrid Newton, famous photographer born here..... As for conception, the less said about that the better!
Ingrid

Holga softened a bit the chaotic, sad look of that depictured surrounding- and my first thought was: tempora mutantur- and nos mutamur in illis (times change, and we are changing with them).
Ginnie's and Chris' comments make me thoughtful- I could ask my mother where I was concieved - but should I do that? I'm not sure about because there were extremely hard times for my parents and I'm afraid my mother might be too modest to speak about such things, the sexuality of the parents seemed to be no theme of my generation as we were children...
As I saw the hospital where I was born, I had, sorry, no deeper emotions, maybe, because there is no memory. But your pic evokes some dear thoughts!

anniedog: I quite agree with you Philine - our parents' sexuality is something we don't care to dwell on, and I think people of that generation are less willing to discuss this sort of thing. I also felt little in the way of emotion when visiting this place - as you say, I had no memory of it, but this ready-made sculpture of chairs was too good to pass by.
Ingrid

Sad to see what happens when we go back sometimes

anniedog: It's too much to expect places to remain unchanged, although I have no memory of this place at all of course. I was only here for a brief period in my life!
Ingrid

That reminds me, where is Chad these days?

The three chairs could almost speak of institutionalism through the ages!

anniedog: Off on some adventure perhaps? The chairs are depressingly familiar from visits to hospital - some things never change.
Ingrid

Quite depressing looking at this Ingrid, but things change, don't they?

anniedog: I agree Richard - it looks depressing, and the whole place had a rather run down look, but I felt little connection with the place.
Ingrid

As Mike indicates, these chairs seem to belong to different decades, but they all end up on the scrapheap. There must be a metaphor there!

anniedog: Obviously come to the end of their useful life - depressingly familiar looking items!
Ingrid

Have all of these been taken at Letchworth for this series Ingrid? My Dad worked there for years and I worked in Letchworth from 1960 to 1963 as I only come from Royston a few miles down the road. I think these items have seen better days, don't you.

anniedog: This was taken in Swindon, where I was born and lived for the first 18 months of my life. The pictures in the first week of the house and school playground were taken in Newport, South Wales, last week's amusement park was Coney Beach, Porthcawl where I also lived, and this week's of the playground horse and street sign were in Letchworth. I lived in South Wales as a child until I left home, but I visited Letchworth regularly to visit my grandparents. I went back there this March for the first time since 1987 - the centre seemed a bit run down and old-fashioned, but the outskirts were reassuringly suburban and green.
Ingrid

This reflects many things in our present day society ... and sums up how easily things can be thrown out and to an extent I don't just mean artifacts. richard


Yeh and where is Chad

anniedog: Just about sums up how I feel about life at the moment Richard! No idea where Chad is - off on some jolly perhaps.
Ingrid

It does have a touch of sadness to it, but a great ready-made sculpture

anniedog: Thank you Mark - it's nice to think that something can be made of even such prosaic discarded items!
Ingrid

Wonderful artistic work : Thumbs up !

anniedog: Thanks very much.
Ingrid

Better than being born in a psychiatric hospital Ingrid. No I wasn't.

i love the sense of decay in this shot...i could really feel that sense of loss in this...

Mmm, I htink there is somehitng wrong with as I saw 'Chair Wrestling' - off the top rope and all.

Another great picture here, too bad they did not get rid of the mess right away, but than we would have missed this wonderful picture.
I know of those places and the 'glued the chairs to the floor'...also the tables....