"At the end of 2012 there were 34.5 million vehicles licensed for use on the roads in Great Britain." DVLA, April 2013
The number of licensed vehicles on British roads has increased in every year since World War II, except in 1991, and in 2013 it stands at yet another all-time high.For many motorists, the functional car park is a regular and forgettable part of day-to-day life.
However, many city centre multi-storey car parks appear to stand largely empty for considerable periods. Out of town retail developments, public transport, congestion charges, rising fuel prices and park & ride schemes have all contributed to this absence of vehicles.
There is a kind of romance about their empty flat rooftops, situated in the middle of densely populated urban hubs, strictness in all the signs and directions: Exit, No Pedestrians, No Access, Danger.
Usually no anything at all, besides seagulls and pigeons. Merely lines, arrows guiding nothing, meaningless markings, dotted puddles, painted concrete, bird shit, spaces, space.
There is magic in the dystopian urban wildernesses, forgotten top-floor eyries; amusing redundancy in the stiff directions and serious rules.
There is anticipation after climbing several flights of steps or exiting an untrustworthy elevator, finally reaching for a heavy door which can't entirely stifle thin beams of natural light.
There are questions: how big is it? What are the views like? Any vehicles? Is it empty? Is it safe?
I could get assaulted, mugged. I could get thrown off the top by a paranoid schizophrenic searching for solace, or suicide. I could get accosted by an officious security guard who has spied me on CCTV. A single car could slyly arrive, containing a couple aware of probable privacy. A homeless guy with a habit who I'd passed outside could follow me up, or stop me on the stairwell on my way down.
There is a canvas for drama. High-rise car parks are often used in drama: climactic scenes of films and soap operas.
There is a nearness to nature, with the proximity to sky and all its elements: sulking cloudscapes, dreamy sunsets, starry nights, sudden exposure to strong gusts of wind or pelting rain; all set to a backdrop of jagged cityscapes full of contrast and slender chance of awful things.
There is a multitude of views over streets below and offices opposite, of industry, of construction sites, of the latest high-rise building, of cars and buses, of young families and bored adolescents, of swarming marathons and city celebrations, of day-to-day human behaviour.
There are always arrows.
MH
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Over the last two years (2011-13) I have been drawn to photographing from car parks in Cardiff, UK. This website is an attempt to bring better order and more substance to those efforts.
All photographs are strictly © Mark Hawkins 2011-2013Open to discuss commercial exhibition and publishing opportunities.
markhawkinsphotography.com
