Blackpool - Luc Rabaey

Photos © Luc Rabaey

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Blackpool
' Blackpool is a city at England’s West coast, close to the industrial regions, textile factories in particular near Liverpool and Manchester, where workers, unemployed, their families and elderly use to spend their holidays. Blackpool rose to prominence as a major centre of tourism during the 19th century, particularly for the inhabitants of northern mill towns.

It looks like a mixture of Ibiza and Vegas , but it has a rather cold climate and nowadays it is in disrepair. The people are still coming. After following the BBC film series ‘Blackpool’ on TV, I became intrigued, so I decided to see it for myself and spend some time in that particular coasttown in the first week of July 2008. Photographing in Blackpool was a strange experience.

Especially I felt a strong inner conflict between the reason why Blackpool was build and developed for : amusement and more, standing for the escape from reality, succes, winning, money, etc. and what I noticed as sadness and alienation.

I hope I photographed in a critical but emphatic way as the result of mixed sentiments I had, being part of the life in Blackpool.'

Photos and text © Luc Rabaey