Mark Forbes, Consumer fog (Documentary 2020)

These images form part of a broader series documenting the monolithic and sometimes brutalist consumer environments that are built with increasing frequency around us. In these worlds, where customer spending is paramount, and ongoing economic growth seems vital to our modern sense of security the suburban shopping centre is commonplace. Visiting one of these sprawling centres during a very early morning heavy fog gave the whole experience a much more surreal feeling than would be possible when it was bustling with people. I've always found fog to have an intrinsically calming effect, the way the cool air envelopes everything, and creates a sense of quiet. The effect that light, weather and absence of people can have on any familiar space can enable them to take on another somewhat calm and peaceful dimension. In stark contrast to the usual hustle and bustle waiting soon after. The aim of this image set was to show that beauty and peace can be fleetingly found even in the most common of places. The images here and the broader series were photographed entirely on medium format film.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.