Parking Spaces by Martin Parr

In his latest exhibition Martin Parr makes a stand against congestion

by taking the prosaic empty parking space as his muse. But don’t let that

put you off. Using a trusty compact camera he searched high and low for five

years, covering 41 countries in all, to find spaces that not only looked the

part but had a story worth telling. The roadside spots from places as far

flung as China and Chile make up the second half of his new exhibition A8 +

Parking Spaces at Rocket gallery in the heart of London’s east end.

For A8, the architect John McAslan commissioned Parr to examine the

outskirts of Glasgow and the Clyde estuary - McAslan’s stomping ground as a

youngster. The photographer jumped at the chance to capture the quaint

landscape in all its rawness. “This is an area I am fascinated by. One of

the last dock side locations that has not yet been prettyfied, which I am

sure in due course will happen”, he says.

A limited edition book to accompany Parking Spaces will launch in the

gallery on 31 May. The 88-pager is available exclusively at Rocket gallery

for £65, sumptuously packaged in white suedette.

16 May 2007 | Art