Beginnings, Beckonings & Transformations
A photographic series structured across three movements. Beginning with minimalist black and white landscapes emptied of human presence, the work gradually introduces traces of industry, construction, and isolated figures suspended between nature and the environments they have built. Conceived as a documentary film composed of still images.
The Winter Storm
The Fortification
The clouds form flanks from the left and right and approach the landscape like an occupying army. It sits over the landscape, immovable. By the time the occupation has ended, the sea and the storm has reduced everything on the shoreline.
A road of ice is paved. On an especially cold day, the animals who aren’t hiding from the deadly weather might see an opportunity to cross. The passage is still made treacherous by tree branches emerging out of the ice like limbs, made sharp by the frigid atmosphere.
Nature's Clock
Immersion
As winter drags on, the frozen lagoon slowly begins to thaw. It begins at the centre as a pool of black water, ringed by pale ice. Day by day, the ring widens, measuring the slow passage of the season, until it reaches the forest edge.
Winter relaxes its grip for a brief week. The environment around the lagoon begins to regain its natural color. The bark, once stiff and dry, absorbs the color and texture of its surroundings.
Red Clay
The Internal World
A pool of wastewater collects on the outskirts of a farming community. During the warmest part of the year, the color turns a sickly yellow, tainted by sun and waste. A different form of stagnation.
A shed provides shelter through the warmest parts of the year. It extends outwards and upwards into three dimensional form, creating a new contrast of light and dark. A new interiority harbouring secrets and a closely guarded sense of dignity.
Working From Home
The Frontier
The life giving influence of the land is put to practical use. A new system of grain silos is built to nurture us. The borders and fences around it now protect our rights as individuals to play and amusement.
A rail network leads away towards a new life and a departure from the past. As we spend time away from these places, the passage of time accents each one of them with physical changes.
Sentries
Behind The Fortification
A pair of Scottish Highland cows watch the borders of their forest habitat as the sun rises. The trees form a canopy, giving them a sense of shelter. A system of small branches and twigs extend outwards, accessible only to those who are light enough for flight.
In the new urban landscapes, beauty becomes controlled, shaped and formed. Incorporated into the personality of the observer.
The Maze
Exposed Brick
A man tends to a carefully constructed garden. There is only one combination of paths that leads to it’s centre. Once you find it, you can’t count on finding your way back out.
The foundations become exposed, the defences weaken. Warts, blemishes, and imperfections form underneath a coat of paint. The retreat has left nobody to witness its return to raw material.
Procession
The Mourners
The unconscious truths of childhood are revealed. The stories we have spent a lifetime telling ourselves lose focus. As their light becomes dim, we experience with new ways of seeing how closely related are light and shadow.
A beam of light across the floor separates the mourners from the dreamers. A mother gazes directly into their world without fear while her young daughter waits in expectation for their presence to be felt emerging out of the earth.