Photographer
The Britannia Model Village has been Bens largest project to date- mixing photography and 3D Sculpture, it was an attempt to show in miniature an imaginary Model Village tourist attraction, set in a Cumbria under the rule of a fictional police state. The inspirations were drawn widely from dystopian literature, contemporary politics, and more besides, leading to the creation of the imaginary "Britannia". All the miniatures were created specially for the shots, either building from scratch or modifying toys and model kits. The posters and 'corporate image' were created especially for the project, and the final photographs were shot in various locations around Cumbria, the Midlands, and Wales.
Originally forming Bens final-year project at University, it was displayed as a faux-documentary of a supposedly real attraction, complete with guidebook and large photographic prints. The project was further developed through 2008 for a solo exhibition at a gallery in Birmingham in early 2009, having previously been shown in Cumbria and Newcastle in 2007. The Britannia Model Village has influenced much of Bens work since graduating, and has led to several commissions and related projects.
