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I Took 10 Photos Of City People Acting Normal In The Countryside, And It’s Unsettling
This project explores the subtle, often unspoken contrasts between urban and rural life by placing familiar city behaviours into the quiet, hard-working countryside of Britain. It draws attention to the overlooked moments of urban living—those behaviours and interactions that have become so normalised they often go unnoticed—and repositions them in rural settings to expose their incongruity and social weight.
By merging real locations, such as Threadneedle-upon-Wetton—a fictional blend of London’s financial district and the Staffordshire village of Wetton—the project creates imagined ‘halfway’ places. These composite environments serve as visual metaphors for the invisible disconnects between city and country life, highlighting how different these worlds feel despite existing within the same national identity.
More info: matt-crabtree.com | Instagram
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Having moved from northern England to London over two decades ago, I became increasingly aware of these subtle shifts in behaviour and atmosphere. “Town int Country” reflects on the social isolation, judgement, and disconnection often felt in urban environments. When placed in serene rural landscapes, these city moments appear absurd, even surreal—inviting viewers to question what we accept as normal.
Ultimately, the project offers a quiet commentary on British identity, societal norms, and human interaction—encouraging reflection on the emotional and cultural distance between two ways of life.
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