University of Northampton students' exhibit photos of town's changing urban landscape

Changing Landscapes: A Work In Progress, features images of current major redevelopment sites in the town centre, taken by second-year BA Photography students at the University of Northampton.

The exhibition will focus on projects including the University’s Waterside Campus, pictured, the county council’s new offices and the conversion of the Royal Mail sorting office in Barrack Road into a secondary school.

artini Leet, Senior Lecturer in Photography said: “This exhibition is incredibly important for Northampton and its residents.

“It ensures the major changes the town is currently undergoing will be properly documented for posterity, with the photographs effectively becoming important historical records.

Student Benjamin Mensah, who photographed the sorting office, Waterside and works in Delapre Abbey, said: “It’s been a real privilege to be granted behind-the-scenes access to the different sites.

“It’s common to see photography of new buildings when they are finished, but rare to have shots from somewhere between the ‘before’ and ‘after’ stages.

“The derelict buildings we’ve visited are just skeletons and you feel as though you are in the insides of the structure, which is a slightly uncomfortable feeling, and the photography really gets that feeling across.”

Changing Landscapes: A Work In Progress, runs until Thursday, March 3 at the University’s Avenue Gallery, Maidwell Building, Avenue Campus, St George’s Avenue, Northampton, NN2 6JD.

The gallery is open Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm, and on Saturday 27 February, 10am to 1pm (closed Sunday).