Madeleine Snowdon

Department: History of Art

*The following description was provided by the student*

The Afterimage series is a number of prints made in response to the transition of the Arts Faculty
at Warwick from the Humanities building to its new location under construction. These digital
collages merge the old and the new, exploring the psychology of space and architecture.
I began the development of this project after looking at archival images of Warwick University
from the 1960s and ‘70s, when Warwick’s campus was freshly built and had only just begun to be
settled in by its staff and students. I was able to gain access to the new Arts building and the
experience made me look to the past and future of the ever-changing Arts Community at
Warwick, as it settles and adapts to the new building.

While the images are often abstracted, glimpses of bunting from an old humanities corridor,
construction workers, scaffolding, notice boards and more are all present and make their mark on
each print. The contrast between finished and unfinished lived in and vacant space shows us
how human it is to want to actively participate and engage with the buildings we inhabit. It also
shows us how history unfolds in these spaces with both the building and the people growing and
interacting with each other.