Assume the stillness of a tree
2021
Limited Edition Photo Book
Edition of 100

Finalised in late 2021 Assume the stillness of a tree comprises images from three related collections of photographs - Field Notes (2017 – 2021), The Augurs (2018) and Those Who Were Birds (2018 – 2021).

These projects began in 2017/ 2018 while I was researching for an exhibition entitled The Augury. The origins of that exhibition lay in my enduring interest in J.A Baker’s book The Peregrine, particularly the descriptions of obsessively traversing the landscape in repetitive patterns. I share Baker’s fascination with tracking hawks and birds of prey and this has resulted in a habit - akin to ritual - of walking, watching and recording.

Assume the stillness of a tree is an attempt to create a visual language for the thoughts, ideas and images that occur while undertaking these walks. The images in the book are recorded in a variety of locations - they are not specific to any one place, timeline or subject. They are connected by virtue of being a series of observations in the field - a record of an obsessive need to look up and search for signs of presence.