My earlier research in Positions and Practice had highlighted several practitioners using the theme of the seaside. My study included the Turner Exhibition' Seaside Photographed' (Williams and Shepherdson, 2019) a publication that introduced me to artists such as Paul Nash, Martin Parr, Tony Ray-Jones and Iain Mckell.
The Last Resort Martin Parr – http://www.tate.org.uk/art/work/P78703
Parr's book The Last Resort is perhaps the best-known contemporary example of this practice. He depicts the seaside town of New Brighton in the early '80s over numerous bank holidays. His depiction is honest, almost too honest in my view. The work first appeared in 1986 and was subjected to criticism from his peers. Art critic David Lees review was particularly scathing' (Parr) has habitually discovered visitors at their worst, greedily eating and drinking junk food and discarding containers and wrappers with an abandon likely to send a liberal conscience into paroxysms of sanctimony. Our historic working-class usually dealt with generously by documentary photographers becomes a sitting duck for a more sophisticated audience'. It is ironic in my view that this criticism is equally condescending, with both coming from middle-class backgrounds Parr and Lee's perspective could be considered voyeuristic?