Apocalypse When?
TEESSIDE SEEN THROUGH AN APOCALYPTIC LENS…
It is coming. We all feel it in our bones. Join photographer Ian Robinson as he explores Teesside… an area haunted by the ghostly presence of its industrial past, around housing estates demolished but not rebuilt, under towers left empty and over roads now derelict. And ponder for a while with some of the writers from the Post Apocalypse School of Teesside as we imagine how our world might end and what we can do to survive it.
The Post Apocalypse School of Teesside
Run by the brilliantly creative Lisa Lovebucket, the school teaches important skills which will help you live in a more self-sufficient and sustainable way – and skills which may save your life after the apocalypse. Our involvement has been super fun with lots of paper-making, experimenting with natural dyes and inks, and creating books and junk journals out of recycled paper and Covid test boxes.
The Photographs
Photographer Ian Robinson from Teesside has a fantastic portfolio of stunning photographs, portraying Teesside as it is… raw, industrial, urban and wonderful. When we saw Ian’s vision, we couldn’t resist suggesting this amazing photo book.
The Stories
As well as working with Ian, we liaised with Lovebucket, the writers and poets of The PAST and our Harvey Duckman writers to create a collection of stories asking HOW the apocalypse could happen.
The Book Launch
The photo book was launched in June 2022 at Base Camp Boro as part of Crossing The Tees, with an exhibition of Ian’s photographs and readings of the stories. As a special touch, we also couldn’t resist creating three one-off handbound hardback editions, for Ian, Lovebucket and Kirsten of Crossing The Tees. Many thanks to Bob of Quoin in Middlesbrough for being mad enough to help us put it all together!
“I never expected to have a book of my phtography published, but Sixth Element were amzing and they produced a fantastic product that I’m immensely proud of. The launch event was a great day and I’ll always remember it. The book itself is such great quality, and the ‘apocalypse journal’ homemade special edition I received was a wonderful addition, and something I treasure.”
