Copyright © 2022 by James O'Rourke
jamesorourkephotgraphy@gmail.com
The Outer Edge
Driving along the London Orbital Motorway I started thinking of its name and placement. Someone somewhere chose what could be regarded as within the City’s orbit, selecting what can be considered as London on one side and what is permanently excluded, by this definitive asphalt loop, on the other. Through this project I focus on one particular region to the North East of London that falls just outside this ‘Outer Edge’. ‘The Outer Edge’ is an exploration of the essence of a selected area within a 10 mile radius that falls just outside the periphery of London. Stopping in places mainly just driven through I investigate the nature of these ‘edgeland’ locations. The names of these peripheral places (simply their coordinates) somewhat disconnects them from their locations, existing as vague triggers of their locality conjuring associations with mapping technologies such as ‘Sat Nav’ GPS systems, further emphasising the notion that these places are remembered as places you’d drive past using GPS, yet not places you’d necessarily choose to visit.