Wandering through a massive office park outside of London, artist Nicholas Cobb was reminded of JG Ballard's marvelous dystopian novels set in gated communities and sprawling, manicured business parks. Inspired, Cobb built a detailed architecture model and made magnificent photographs of an imaginary corporate campus where work is done, as well as "extracurricular activities of a more malevolent nature." You can see some of the images, with Cobb's text and accompanying Ballard quotes, at Ballardian. The full book documenting the project is available at Blurb. From Ballardian:
In the summer of 2008 I went for a series of walks along arterial routes heading out of London. That summer I had read several of J.G. Ballard's novels including Super Cannes, which is about disturbing behaviour amongst the inhabitants of a gated community isolated from the world. On one of these ambles I chanced upon a recently completed building development. I felt compelled to enter this beautifully landscaped glass and steel environment. It appeared as if no expense had been spared. What I encountered there helped to crystallize some vague ideas that became the photographs that are presented in this collection. The idyllic setting combined with the ever-present 'security' got under my skin and left me wondering about a dystopian outcome for this kind of world.
I remember sitting down by the artificial lake. The sun was beating down and people casually wandered about. I gazed up at the office blocks. I thought it must be an idyllic place to work. London felt far away. I imagined that you could lift these acres up and deposit them in any city in the world and they would feel at home. This was an anti-Dickensian space, more an abstract one. It was a statement of how the world of work could be. The management ethos, proclaimed on various signs, was 'enjoy work'.
The Office Park (Ballardian)
The Office Park by Nicholas Cobb (Blurb)
