Secret Cities
UK, Netherlands & Iceland
2008 - 2017
A uniquely effective, engaging and embedded cultural project that brought together artists, institutions and audiences in true collaboration to explore their own city. Industrial ruins, underground tunnels, abandoned sites and prohibited places inspire stories through storytelling, exhibition and social media.
Bringing together aspects of urban exploration, cultural heritage, architecture and art the project sought to explore and refresh mythologies around urban environments’ forgotten spaces. Secret Cities is recognised internationally and was named as one of Culture 24’s Best Photography Exhibitions in 2008.
Exhibition and Empowerment
The Secret Cities project focused on engaging local groups through tours, workshops and a collaborative gallery-standard exhibition, providing a platform for co-authorship. Led by Curated Place and photographer Andrew Brooks the project provides a platform and focus enabling participants to experience and interrogate cities using photography, exploration, memory and identity to create new perceptions of urban environments. The project is a celebration of place, a renewal of outlook and a sense of ownership for local people so often lost in the increasingly privatised public realm of contemporary life.
The Secret Cities project has been delivered in the following locations: Manchester, UK (December 2008); Edinburgh, UK (September 2010); Zoetermeer, Netherlands (September 2011); Sittard-Geleen, Netherlands (August 2013); Liverpool, UK (June 2014); Aberdeen, UK (2016 - 2017).
Immersion
In 2014 Curated Place collaborated with lighting and technical wizard Nick Malbon to bring Andrew Brook's images to life and to push the presentation and experience of the Secret Cities project into new immersive directions. The team explored new ways of displaying the exceptional hi-resolution images taking Andrew’s stunning photography from the gallery walls into a spectacular 320° projection environment. Immersion Manchester was presented at Enlighten Manchester 2015 and supported by Arts Council England.
In January 2015 Andrew Brooks visited Iceland to explore, photograph and film the sublime landscapes of this beautiful country. This resulted in the short film Immersion Iceland and a collection of new photographs. The film and photographs features active volcanoes, the edges of glaciers, the Aurora Borealis and more. The work was commissioned by Curated Place and presented at Spectra 2015 in Aberdeen, featuring original music by composer Jack White.
