Foot & Mouth - Exhibition - London

Originally from: Farmtalking
                        
Foot and Mouth: The Aftermath
An exhibition of images of the aftermath of the foot and mouth crisis is to be displayed at the Regent Street headquarters of the University of Westminster. The exhibition consists of 30 black and white photographs taken in Cumbria, North Devon, and North Yorkshire by Ian Geering, 54, a photography student and former vet. Ian, who is studying on the part-time BA (Hons) Photography and Multimedia degree course at the University of Westminster, is aiming to raise awareness of the severe impact of the foot and mouth crisis on the countryside. He said: “I wanted to record the long-term effects of foot and mouth on the countryside which has been changed for ever by this crisis. “A number of farmers told me that when the slaughter had been completed on their farms the birds were silent. I wanted to capture in image form that silence, that absence. “When I was in Cumbria, I was told that in the autumn you could travel from Penrith to Carlisle and not see a single farm animal. It is that devastation that I wanted to show in the images in order to raise awareness of the plight of the rural community. “The people have seen terrible events. Farming incomes have fallen steadily over the last five years and foot and mouth was the last straw. The portraits that I have taken show the worry and anxiety which people living in rural communities have experienced and are continuing to experience.”
 ‘Foot and Mouth: The Aftermath’ will be held at the University of Westminster’s headquarters at 309 Regent Street, London W1 (nearest tube Oxford Circus) from Friday, March 15, to Tuesday, April 19. Opening times are 9am to 9pm weekdays and 10am to 4pm weekends. Admission to the exhibition is free.