E20 12 Under Construction
© Giles PriceE20 12 Under Construction is a photographic documentary project which combines large format minutely detailed aerial landscapes with arresting portraits of the workforce taken during the construction of the London 2012 Olympic site.
The aerial pictures were produced from 2009 – 2012 before the availability of commercial drones and push the visual language of satellite imaging, such as Google Earth. These photographs, shot from a helicopter, reveal a previously invisible perspective on the intricacy of the landscape and the overwhelming scale of its transformation.
Conversely, the pictures of workers show a snapshot demographic of Britain at the time, with unseen human faces of those involved in the construction of the site. These engaging portraits add a personal dimension to the depiction of the transformation, and offer a glimpse into the hidden stories of the Olympic Park.
By combining an aerial perspective with the view from the ground, Price’s photographs create a comprehensive, twofold narrative of the transformation of East London brought about by the Olympics. This alternative vision of the construction of the Olympic Park raises interesting questions about the scale and social impact of this mega-project.
click to view the complete set of images in the archive
