Down Tower Road

My latest body of work 'Down Tower Road' was made in response to not seeing my experience of living in rural Scotland reflected in photography, which typically relies on literal depictions of the landscape, such as farming, landmarks or dramatic vistas versus an insight into how it feels to exist there. I wanted to create imagery that communicates the subtle language of the land here and how I have become part of it.  The work is centred around my hometown, Baldernock, which is a small parish located just outside of Glasgow and feels reserved and shy in nature, mostly made up of moorland and grazing fields. Through practicing the act of noticing, these images are devoted to the intricacies of the landscape, often bringing attention to the individuality of each thing, such as the blue before heavy rain, the pheasant feather found on the hill and the distinct way that the light unfolds. I want to highlight that it is our connection to these seemingly insignificant details that overtime informs our sense of belonging.  Unlike Scotland’s mother tongue, Gaelic, the English language doesn’t have the depth of nature vocabulary we require to accurately describe specific aspects of the natural world and our experience of place. Creating this work was a way of translating my own language from the land and discovering new ways of seeing and relating to my home.  The dialogue I share with these lowlands is explored through the meeting of body and landscape in both a physical and non-physical sense, at times embodying the feeling of being moved into a different kind of aliveness. I intentionally approach my surroundings from a place of quiet curiosity and care, rather than a place of dominance; exploring the ways in which I have felt held by this land and embedded into its way of being.  Ultimately, 'Down Tower Road' is a slow and detailed meditation on the seemingly smaller moments of living in this part of Scotland; questioning what it means to deeply 'know' a place.