14.07.2025

Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about place, and especially when (and how) it relates to personal identity. I’ve often struggled to answer succinctly, whenever asked, where I’m from. In the space between the question being asked and my answering, a thought process that follows something along the lines of “I was born in the Midlands but grew up in Cirencester — no, wait, Swindon — no, hang on, Wootton Bassett… or, I suppose, I did a lot of my growing up in Bournemouth, but now I live in Bristol?” tends to precede an answer of “My mum lives in Cricklade but Bristol now feels like my home”.

I’ve always been a tiny bit jealous of those who have lived and ‘grown up’ (who are from) a single place, and who, when asked where they were from could answer with confidence. I suppose it felt like part of their identity was rooted in a place, and I rarely felt that. Until recently…

Thinking about all of this has spurred the beginning of a new photographic project for me. This new body of work will be an intense dialogue between myself — as both an individual and an artist — and the landscape of the South West of England. This is where I am from (I recognised this whilst reading through the region’s Wikipedia page and realising that all of the places I’ve lived throughout my living memory have been within the region’s perimeter).

This new work will no doubt evolve and morph throughout its creation, but for now, it is an ode — a love letter — to the South West of England: a place of incredible beauty, romanticism, and history, and the place I am, as I’ve come to realise, incredibly grateful to have grown up in.

My hope is that through this work I can connect more deeply to the land, the people, and the history of this region and share my connection and understanding with those who wish to see it.

I’d like to end this by sharing some initial images I’ve been making. Feel free to leave any comments or thoughts below this piece. Let’s have a conversation.