Documentary
Hockett’s documentary portfolio of the Lonaconing Silk Mill was presented to a panel of judges for assessment on Wednesday, June 9, 2021 at The Royal Photographic Society in Bristol, UK where she was subsequently awarded Associateship – very joyfully ending a five-year project.
Hockett commented, “I am so grateful to the Documentary Chair, Simon Leach, FRPS, for his invaluable advice and for helping me to clarify my vision and narrative. I would like to thank all of the judges who were very thorough, insightful, positive, and above all inspiring. Thanks also to Simon Vercoe, LRPS who so pleasantly guided the audience through the proceedings and to Ben Fox, ARPS who has tolerated my incessant requests for deferment with grace. Lastly, I would like to thank Rosie and crew at theprintspace in London for providing superb service and positively beautiful mounted prints that abated much of my anxiety. Included is the Statement of Intent, layout, and fifteen images that comprise the portfolio. Next stop, Fellowship!”
STATEMENT OF INTENT
Stepping into the Lonaconing Silk Mill in western Maryland is akin to traveling back in time. In a way that is both wonderfully nostalgic and somewhat haunting, I have been struck by how well-preserved are the functional elements of the mill. The mill produced silk for fifty years, but was shuttered suddenly in 1957. From the throwing machinery and bobbins to paper tags and personal items, the systems remain very much as they were sixty years ago, perhaps due to a combination of simple, sturdy construction, sudden abandonment, and no subsequent intervention. The purpose of my portfolio is to show a moment in time frozen.
