Fading Flowers

By: Karen Somerville

Floral tributes are a common sight by the roadside today. However, as we drive past, we rarely get the chance to look at them properly. Featuring memorials across Sussex and Kent, 'Fading Flowers' offers a glimpse into the fascinating world of roadside memorials.

The project was originally inspired by the ongoing debate as to whether flowers by the roadside act as a warning to drive safely, or in fact pose a distraction to motorists, and should be removed after a period of time, or not placed at all. However, rather than getting caught up in this debate, the project simply offers individual portraits of each memorial, and therefore, portraits of the lives that have been lost there. It also shows how a temporary tribute can be made more permanent through the medium of photography.

For anyone who has ever slowed down when driving past a roadside memorial, the project should be particularly appealing.