Miguel Brusch’s Sobering Look Behind The Facade Of A Resort Town In Deterioration

During his studies at the Ostkreuzschule für Fotografie in Berlin, Brusch was given the opportunity to travel to England for a photographic project regarding Brexit. After learning that a majority of residents in Blackpool voted to leave the European Union in the 2016 referendum, Brusch decided to focus his lens on the town, its “the unemployment and drug abuse rates are among the highest in Great Britain”touristic reputation, and its inhabitants. “Blackpool on England’s northwest coast is one of the most popular seaside resorts in the U.K.”, explains Brusch, a place marketed as an idyllic holiday destination for the rest of the country. “But despite an increasing number of tourists, the town’s economic and social situation is precarious: hundreds of hotels are in a state of decay, and the unemployment and drug abuse rates are among the highest in Great Britain”. Nevertheless, Brusch asserts that the town presents itself as “a place of joy—where tourists and locals may escape the reality of everyday life”. The resulting images are a documentation of the town’s landscapes and the diverse lives of residents struggling with drug addiction and poverty. The series contrasts the idealisms put forward by the tourism industry and the actuality of Blackpool, showing the thin line between “monotony and distraction, between illusion and disillusion.”