I took these photographs in southern France while I was recovering from surgery. Although it is possible (tempting, even) to imbue doors and windows with `meanings’ – about openings, about opportunities (taken or lost), about journeys, and moving on or out – in all honesty in this case I think it would be wide of the mark. It was a project. I wanted something to be left over after the holiday, something more than the usual `This is the view from the top’ litany of visits. I wanted to get something more concrete under my belt. Therapy of sorts, then.
So I decided to make a collection of photographs of some single object type. The decision about what the object would actually be was driven largely by opportunistic considerations: what would be available in large numbers, in a variety of designs, preferably – though not necessarily – in a range of colours, and easily accessible. I considered streetlights, gratings, awnings, tables, taps, chairs, switches, knockers … And in the end I settled on shutters and doors. They were plentiful and they were everywhere, in a wondrous variety of interesting styles, textures and colours. The walls are nice too …