Urban Transitions draw on the changes that an urban development in the city of Cambridge has undergone between 2016 and 2017.
Utilising the ‘city as text’ approach, the project uses the developer’s billboards photographed at the construction site as an invitation to reflect on the complex transitional experiences and to draw on the past, present and future of the urban areas subjected to a substantial redevelopment.
In these images, the promises of the bright future depicted on the billboards conceal the past and the present: the demolition of the historic Victorian building and the erection of a modern office block.
In the photobook, each billboard message is paired with an image showing an aspect of the completed development. The viewer is invited to make their own conclusions as to what degree these messages transition into the real world.