Atlantica - 01.05.2002, Page 20

18 A T L A N T I C A
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THE STADIUM OF FOOTBALL
The
football match has ended.
Fans file out and the players and coaches
depart leaving the once noisy stadium deserted.
This is when photographer Brian Sweeney arrives to cap-
ture the still life of the silent stadium.
Since moving to Iceland, the Scottish-born photographer has trav-
elled the country chronicling the nation’s enduring landmarks of foot-
ball, shooting everything from stadiums to kick-around pitches. The
resulting collection, ‘The Great Football Stadiums of Iceland’, depicts the
sport at its most remote extremes, with pitches dwarfed by volcanic moun-
tains, shadowed by subarctic light or weathered by ocean seascapes.
“Wherever I’ve travelled, I’ve always made a point of visiting the local stadium,
picking up a strip and taking snaps at a match,” says Sweeney, an avid fan of the
sport since it captured his imagination as a young boy. “Nothing seems to have
changed in football here for a long time – it’s like British football twenty years
ago and, consequently, a journey back to childhood for me.”
The exhibition, presented by adidas, reveals the popularity of football even in
small communities where harsh climate conditions and extremes of day-
light and darkness prevail, places where the game is still played for noth-
ing more than competition and the love of sport.
‘The Great Football Stadiums of Iceland’ kicks off at the Fordham
Gallery (20 Fordham Street London E1) on 31 May through
30 June 2002, coinciding with this year’s World Cup.
For more information or to view Sweeney’s
stunning photographs, log on to
www.this.is/stadiums
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