Good to see Ciara Leeming’s work applauded in The Guardian:

I’d like to say that she would have never have done it without duckrabbit, but then I’d be talking crap.


A year ago Ciara Leeming, who is clearly a dab hand with a camera, taught herself to produce audio clips and embarked on a self-funded mission to try “in a fuller way” to document the stories she had written of people caught up in the battles over urban demolition across the north of England.The result is a labour of love: a hugely impressive multi-media documentary in words, pictures and sound, which she curated beautifully on her Street Fighters blog “before running out of money and time”.

On it you can hear her interviews with residents who are campaigning against plans which will see their homes bulldozered; see some fantastic photographs of the threatened communities (see these shots of Seedley South, in Salford, for example); and delve into a chronological archive of her articles (latterly published mainly in the Big Issue in the North).

All in all it forms a powerful online document which traces the development of the housing market renewal policy over the past few years and its human consequences. The demolition story, however, isn’t over, even if her money has run out. As Leeming writes:

‘One thing I can’t help wondering when I visit these urban wastelands – many of which have been largely tinned-up for five years plus now – is what the future holds.‘

Author — duckrabbit

duckrabbit is a production company formed by radio producer/journalist Benjamin Chesterton and photographer David White. We specialize in digital storytelling.

Discussion (2 Comments)

  1. Lisa Hogben says:
    August 10, 2010 at 02:00

    YAY Ciara!!!!

    Ben well I am gonna say it! I have always been a fan of Ciara’s work!

    Reply
  2. ciara says:
    August 12, 2010 at 09:19

    hey thanks – and thanks lisa.
    wish they’d just commission me for some work though.
    ho hum.
    :o)

    Reply

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