A Deliberate Act by Andrew Bruce (UK, 1961) (September 22, 2009) 
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Curator statement, Kate Edwards on Andrew Bruce
Andrew sent me this piece of work on litter on the streets of Leeds at a time when there was much discussion about the return of the Keep Britain Tidy campaign that was so common place and successful in Britain in the 1970's and 1980's. It struck me as a clever way to look at the problem of litter and how seemingly small and inconsequential discarded items all come together to create a problem. I liked the fact that he didn't go for the easy options, the rubbish filled streets, but focused on individual pieces and made each one seem as something interesting, even beautiful, yet still litter at the end of the day. Andrew Bruce on the web: andrewbruce.co.uk. Kate Edwards is the photo editor of The Guardian Weekend Magazine.
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Our poll "A photo essay always needs a great written story" closed. 267 people voted, 28% agrees, 72% disagrees. 233 people answered our follow-up question "Are you a photographer?" 82% indicated they are, 18% said no. Initially, negative answers to question #1 were almost 100% as was the pecentage of photographers among respondants. Then, when the level of non-photographers started to rise, the percentage of people indicating good text is always essential started to rise too. This seems to indicate that non-photographers think that adding good text to your photo essays is essential. In my opinion: if you want non-photographers to dig your work, you know what to do...
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Our poll "A photo essay always needs a great written story" closed. 267 people voted, 28% agrees, 72% disagrees. 233 people answered our follow-up question "Are you a photographer?" 82% indicated they are, 18% said no. Initially, negative answers to question #1 were almost 100% as was the pecentage of photographers among respondants. Then, when the level of non-photographers started to rise, the percentage of people indicating good text is always essential started to rise too. This seems to indicate that non-photographers think that adding good text to your photo essays is essential. In my opinion: if you want non-photographers to dig your work, you know what to do...
This body of work focuses on the concept of "litter," a relatively recent phenomenon that has a significant impact on our everyday experience. We need to recognise our double standards, as well as changes in philosophy. During the past sixty years we have moved from a governmental instruction to make do and mend to a throw away society. This ethic has penetrated our society by stealth, affecting our everyday life. Friends of the Earth who campaign for solutions to environmental problems claim that: "Our throw away society is damaging the environment, wasting precious resources and creating an expensive rubbish mountain.Estimates show that Local Authorities in England spend between £300m and £500m of public money each year on street cleaning and litter clearance. The Keep Britain Tidy campaign found the worst perpetrators to be pedestrians or drivers, causing 91% of litter." 
The UK Commission for Integrated Transport confirms that people who drop litter from their car would not drop litter in any other environment. The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs state in a recent report that there has been an increase in litter linked to fast food, alcohol and non-alcoholic drink containers. These statistics provided the rationale for the decision to focus on litter. This study documented Old Canal Road, a former section of a city centre road replaced by an urban motorway, only used during the week for free parking and as a pedestrian short cut. The images selected document items that have been casually dropped, discarded without a second thought over a period of six months. These hold no meaning for the person concerned who is in reality helping to create the "rubbish mountain." People may chose to ignore litter without appreciating the personal impact on our lives in terms of finance, health and environmental consequence.
The UK Commission for Integrated Transport confirms that people who drop litter from their car would not drop litter in any other environment. The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs state in a recent report that there has been an increase in litter linked to fast food, alcohol and non-alcoholic drink containers. These statistics provided the rationale for the decision to focus on litter. This study documented Old Canal Road, a former section of a city centre road replaced by an urban motorway, only used during the week for free parking and as a pedestrian short cut. The images selected document items that have been casually dropped, discarded without a second thought over a period of six months. These hold no meaning for the person concerned who is in reality helping to create the "rubbish mountain." People may chose to ignore litter without appreciating the personal impact on our lives in terms of finance, health and environmental consequence.Andrew Bruce (UK, 1961) () lives and works in .
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