At Ease

An extended photography project created as part of my final body of work with the Open College of the Arts.

Introduction

Claims that we are guided by our habitus, is a theory which has been widely believed throughout history. Connecting to our surroundings as individuals, our sensory perceptioninfluencing how we perceive and interpret what we see, forming a connection between reality and personal knowledge created through lives experiences. As Outlined by Pierre Bourdieu in a Theory of Practice (1977)

Through this understanding it is assumed that the sublime has many meanings and interpretations.

“At Ease” takes these beliefs to a new degree, led by instinct I find myself drawn not only towards the sublime found in nature’s beauty, but the seclusion and solitude within nature’s embrace. An unseen destiny where I find myself at ease.

Dramatic events changed my life within an instant at the age of twenty- four, whilst serving in the British army as a young infantry soldier deployed to Bosnia . I sustained a gun shot wound to the head changing life beyond recognition. Facing an altered lifestyle with multiple disabilities, a young family, and limited prospects. Poor mobility, limited sight and cognitive skills altered the course of once mundane activities, as they became challenges. changing my outlook on life, allowed over time for an altered character to emerge. Far different to the stereotype view many would expect when placed in a similar situation.

Through a heightened sense of awareness and understanding of my surroundings features in the landscape took on a different meaning becoming metaphors of my condition. My surroundings and the natural world taking on a different meaning. As survival and growth come to the forefront, as we are able to adapt to natures changing environments.

The viewer is invited here to join me on a personal journey passing through woodland as I am draw towards secluded lakes in the southern most region of the Lüneburg heath in Northern Germany. An area I have become accustomed to since returning to Germany, along with my family in 2001.

The photographs included in this series were taken over several months with the aim of captivating the relationship between the self, reality, and the habitus. Influenced by the work of Michael Kenna, Clyde Butcher, and Fay Godwin providing an understanding of the self. This project has allowed me to thrive off my connection with the sense of ease found within nature’s embrace and be creative deep within rarely trodden woodlands.