Ori Gersht

Israeli-born photographer Ori Gersht's commission for Chisenhake comprised of a single, epic, 360-degree, seventeen metre long photograph taken from the centre-spot of Wembley Stadium. Minutes before kick-off at the England versus Brazil International Gersht placed a specially constructed rotating camera in the centre of the pitch and exposed an extraordinary panoramic image. The result was a remarkable document of the penultimate such game to be played at Wembley, before the stadium’s demolition that autumn. Providing an expansive and intensely detailed view of the stadium, Gersht’s vast photograph transformed a familiar site into a commemoration of this legendary cultural venue. It further raised issues concerning regeneration, architectural change, and expressions of national identity at a time of rapid globalisation. Ori Gersht was born in Israel and is currently based in the UK. He has produced several photographic series including Afterwars, a project documenting the aftermath of conflict in Sarajevo. Gersht is currently working on an entire series of images of stadia, with the intention of making evident the long lasting preoccupation of Western civilisation with the architectural construct of the coliseum. Pitch was sponsored by Powerprint Partnership, Alusuisse Composites UK, Gradav Theatre Lighting, The Embassy of Israel, Display Graphics Ltd., Kent Institute of Art and Design.