Silent Coast - Rob Ball

The coastline is an intrinsic part of British identity. Associated with freedom and escape, coastal towns have always drawn those seeking respite from landlocked cities, with seaside resorts serving a primary purpose: to entertain. In Silent Coast Rob Ball shows a different reality. Travelling the length of the English coastline, he captures the structures built along the edge – and in the process reflects on their vulnerability in the face of change.

Out of season these coastal resorts seem far removed from the fun they were designed to offer, revealing carefully manufactured environments, fortified by borders and surveillance. Silent Coast exposes the fragility that exists beneath the facade, a coast open to shifting economic forces and rapid environmental change. Devoid of people, the monochrome scenes reflect on the homogeneity of the coast; without place or time markers, resisting identification yet remaining deeply familiar.