I have produced a body of work entitled ‘Difficult to Place’ for my final exhibition piece for Staffordshire University.



I have travelled around the U.K. visiting closed down mental health institutions. During Victorian times these buildings were used for the confinement of the mentally ill. In the past, the fear and stigma associated with mental health issues meant that patients were hidden away from public view and in many cases they never left.  These buildings are now left derelict due to their closure by Government community - based care policies.



The following images show a selection of some of Britain's mental asylums. On entering the buildings the confined spaces, the dark corridors and staircases present someone with an initial perception of being enclosed and trapped. But on further exploration these places provide a temporary kind of freedom, a sense of not being confined by the codes of everyday life. My experience as a photographer encompassed the visual pleasure of looking at the decay and grime, but also recognized that the light through windows and doorways is a metaphor of hope and that all is not lost. These spaces allow for reflection on a forgotten story of the people once confined within.