Divinia Scollard

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Artist Statement:

"Appealing for Witnesses"

In western society people have become more and more in love with their cars. With the appeal of driving comes the inevitable event of car accidents. There is however still a denial of car accidents yet eight people were seriously injured or killed on Dorset roads every week last year, 2001. Dorset's record in cutting the number of deaths and serious injuries on the roads is one of the worst in Britain.

I am one of many who consider the car an essential part of life. I spend a lot of time driving and during this time I have become increasingly aware of the number of car accidents. As a result I have become more and more cautious. I have also noticed the interest shown by other drivers as they pass an accident scene. Most people would not admit to looking at car accidents yet tailbacks on the other side of the road are commonly seen. The responses of looking are a mixture of grief, curiosity, sorrow and fear.

In the work I have produced the viewer is left to make assumptions and predictions over the past event. They are witnesses to the evidence and they take on the role of investigator. The scenes are illuminated by a mystery light source, is it the light of headlights, a streetlight, the torch of a person investigating the scene or is it a spotlight placed on the evidence to highlight an anonymous fatality or memorialise a soon to be forgotten tragic event. A short time after a car accident the evidence left disappearsleaving no trace of the past event. The scene is walked and driven over telling us that life goes on. I have memorialised these events by photographing them.

Divinia Scollard