Tell me about your visual artist’s career. How did you begin and why did you focus on social & human geographical themes?
From a young age I found the best way I could express myself was creatively, naturally I pursued this intrigue for creativity into my adult life. Photographically I was interested by how simply I can record moments & consequently communicate visually what I find interesting and therefore share for the curiosity of others. Initially my photographic approach was & probably similar to many others – to document my surroundings, who I was with at the time, the places, the relationships, the friendships. In some sense it was archiving ones life photographically. Subconsciously my photographic interest developed into learning how we as human beings adapt in our fast paced society. How we construct, how we alter our increasingly precious landscape. We now live in a predominantly constructed environment, over population, climate change, technology these are all driving forces of our present situation. How we live, what we create, things we alter subsequently changes the fragile system of creation itself. The growing dispute between nature and humans becomes my motive when starting a project, I hold great compassion towards our fragile environment but at the same time I am astonished by human alteration and progression”. My work aims capture the beauty of our planet & at the same time the subtle changes left by human hands.
Feral fjords is your last series, a documentation of a month journey around Iceland achieved on bicycles. Tell me about this trip.
The journey came about after my closest pal Joe Sanders cycled solo through France, Spain & Portugal for 5 months in 2014, at the time I really wanted to go with him, but wasn’t convenient. When he finally returned in December 2014 he seemed different, more relaxed, more adventurous, a more open minded individual. I was in awe of how he was feeling and wanted to experience the same sensations. During 2015 we started toying with the Idea of cycling around Iceland together & on May 30th 2016 we were on our way also joined by our good friend from University Gar O’Rouke. The choice to travel by bicycle was to experience this dramatic Island first hand, to learn about the true nature of this wild place. As an artist it only seemed right to document this journey, the relationships we had with each other and the respect we found for the Island. During the month, we cycled from Reykjavik and headed north in a clockwise direction, covering the west coast, the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, the West Fjords, the Northern coast, Mývatn, the East Fjords & the Southern coast. Cycling is quite possibly the most gratifying way to experience a landscape, but it’s also testing for the mind and the body. It’s the only possible way to understand the trance like euphoria of cycling head on into Arctic winds over gravel mountain passes and plateaus, to be attacked by territorial sea birds, infested by swarms of midges, drowned by endless rain. It’s also the only way to experience the euphoria of cruising effortlessly down long roads surrounded by fjords on either side, a steady tailwind pushing you all the way.
Why did you go by cycling?
There is something extremely rewarding about cycling yourself from one place to another and never turning back, only to keep pushing ahead. It’s a much slower way of travelling, allowing you to absorb much more of the surroundings & atmosphere. As the days pass by one find’s their own rhythm, natural daily ‘rituals’ begin to be common place, appreciating those moments whether it’s stopping for a 3pm roadside brewed coffee break or finally taking off your cycling gear to get into something warm or that handful of sweet dates you’ve been craving for the last two strenuous hours. These little things you take for granted any other time, but are everything when your out in the elements, Often tired, sometimes wet, sometimes cold sometimes all three. My only real challenge was the involuntary fight between photographing and cycling, as you might imagine it is almost impossible to photograph and cycle harmoniously.
Why did you choice to travel in a group?
It wasn’t so much a choice, but a realisation of journey planned as a group. My two travel partners had previously done some solo cycling journeys in countries more populated & adapted for cycle touring. Iceland is a challenging country to cycle, the landscape and climate is very unforgiving and in a sparsely populated country travelling by bicycle, often you are days away from civilisation and amenities. In such a place having company and motivational support from travelling partners I would say is essential.
Could you describe the best moment of these 31 days?
31 days cycling, day in day out, camping wild in some incredible surroundings, many memorable moments spring to mind. One point in time in particular stays prevalent in my memory, a moment of pure bliss and tranquility like I’ve never experienced otherwise. Two weeks cycling behind us and now in the heart of the West Fjords, after spending three challenging days ascending and descending mountain roads made entirely of loose gravel and contending with bitterly cold headwinds. Delighted we find ourselves arriving in the coastal town of Ísafjörður. After recharging, stocking up and a coffee in the local cafe we cycle out of town along the western edge of the fjord looking back at the small town and pitch our tents. Perched on the embankment leading down to the edge of what is the greenland sea we sat looking out into the vast emptiness. The magic of the midnight sun was hovering at the horizon and enveloped us in a surreal orange glow so intense that we were filled with an overwhelming sense of joy unable to bring ourselves to clamber into our tents and miss this beautiful spectacle, we laid back and let the warm orange glow tingle our faces while we thought about the journey ahead.
What were your reflections at the end of the trip?
After 31 days on the road, physical tiredness, dirty clothing, challenging conditions and living off mainly porridge, dates and coffee. Cycling back into the heart of Reykjavik Initially a kind of euphoric feeling of achievement, instantly replaced by realisation of going back to everyday life and normal routines, but with memories of a great adventure.
You said: “we were free to appreciate the notion of time”. Could you define your images without time? Or you you think that photos could be different in 100 years?
By this statement I was referring to having the time to appreciate each moment as it unfolded, although we had a time restriction of 31 days we chose not to make a rigid schedule just a rough plan and we just set off, the idea was to take each day as it comes and appreciate the now. If we didn’t make it on time then at least we enjoyed the experiences that we had without rushing just because of a time restriction.
Why do you shoot only on film?
I studied using film and I never made the change to digital, I didn’t feel it necessary, I was comfortable using film and it suited my approach to photography. Analog offers a lot of aspects digital will never, there is a certain charm when photographing on film, whether it is the aesthetic which can be unpredictable yet extremely beautiful. There is also the slower pace of working, negatives cost money, therefore providing a more considered approach. I also enjoy not seeing what I am doing, it helps me to focus and not get distracted from the images I have constructed already in my mind. If i could look back on what i was shooting then i think i would challenge the work I’ve already taken and lose the spontaneity of it.
You are interested on the interactions between our planet and humans, but if in your previous works you focused on this relationship, in this last series you want to be temporarily free from the modern pressures of society. What were the results of these two different approach of the same theme?
‘Feral Fjords’ I found particularly challenging, firstly considering that my visual environment is usually that of an suburban landscape, my eye is naturally drawn to architectural line, form, light and shadow yet in Iceland I found myself predominately in a natural environment, challenging my perception of subject matter and composition. I’ve always had a fascination by the subconscious boundary between urban and natural that forms at the edge of our towns and cities. That suburban fringe where society begins to loosen up and drift back into the wilderness. For this reason I spent a lot of time documenting these areas, usually in the form of housing estates or seasonal neighbourhoods. What draws me to this kind of setting is the simplicity of it, there is a beautiful coexistence between the somewhat stark uninteresting architecture and the space and movement of nature. In comparison my time in Iceland was a new experience for me photographically, I insisted on photographing in the style that I always do, but Iceland lacks in terms of infrastructure and found it very difficult at first to find a subject matter. After some frustration I decided to just let Iceland speak to me and forgot all my usual restrictions and I was surprisingly pleased with the result.
What was your favourite trip and why?
I regularly visit France as my mother is French, I’ve spent a lot of time constructing series there, I recently walked a 35km section of the Canal du Midi, from Béziers to Sete. The aim of the walk was to photograph the Canal, how it integrates around constructed and natural landscapes. The Canal is now completely for the Leisure and Tourism trade, it’s interesting to see how the canal has adapted from commercial use to pleasure. My journey took 9 hours and was far more challenging that I anticipated, I ran out of water and developed serious pain in my ankles and feet, but this is all part of the experience of making long journeys. But by far my favourite is exploring Iceland by bicycle, being my first long distance cycle tour it has left me wanting more and has opened up a world of new adventures and photography.
What will be your next one?
I’d like to do a solo cycling trip from Brighton, UK where I currently live to Montpellier, FR where my mother resides. Its going to be a journey through France alone, revisiting places of my childhood memories and exploring places told to me in stories. Using a medium format camera the aim is to document these places from my childhood and allowing me to create my own representation of the places told to me by relatives with great admiration. By cycling alone across France it will be an opportunity for me to connect with my roots and discover places embedded in my family history.