Photography graduate receives unanimous approval for his first prize work in the Deutsche Bank Award for Creative Enterprise
A busy northern motorway has provided the inspiration for an award-winning photography exhibition created by a University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) graduate.
Kevin Crooks’ was named the winner in the photography category of the Deutsche Bank Award for Creative Enterprise (DBACE) after his captivating work on the 107 mile long M62 gained unanimous approval from a panel of judges made up of top industry professionals.
The married father-of-two, from St Helens, said: “I feel delighted to have won the award, particularly when considering the quality and standard of the work produced by previous winners. I was also delighted to present my work to a group of judges that I admire and respect, throughout my presentation they were incredibly supportive and constructive, and they asked questions that gave me the opportunity to discuss how I envisaged the project developing.”
His award-winning work is an ongoing social documentary project geographically centred within communities and towns which spread the length of the M62 motorway. The project began when he was studying a module within his MA Photography course.
"I felt that the M62 was a perfect location to visualise the effects of the Anthropocene because it has, and continues to have, a major impact on the landscape in which it is situated."
The 36-year-old said: “I was asked to produce a project which responded to the concept of the Anthropocene - the new era in geology caused by human intervention, primarily the burning of fossil fuels. I felt that the M62 was a perfect location to visualise the effects of the Anthropocene because it has, and continues to have, a major impact on the landscape in which it is situated.”
Kevin, who works part-time as a photography and art lecturer at Warrington’s Priestley College, was awarded £10,000 to continue the project and he will receive a year’s mentorship supported by Deutsche Bank and their network.
Kevin, who graduated in December 2015 after studying in Preston part-time over two years, added: “I hope that the award will allow me to continue to develop my own professional practice by providing me with the opportunity to produce a project which is ambitious and challenging, not only in terms of its potential size, but also in terms of the themes and concepts that I wish to explore through the production of the work.
“I am really excited by the prospect of working with DBACE in the future. The financial support and other support, advice and guidance will enable me to realise a project that I am committed to developing and realising and I am really excited as to what this award will bring over the course of the coming year.”