RAW Research

When considering this project I was thinking of doing images of miscarriage and stillbirths but in an abstract way. Being a difficult subject to photograph and experiencing it myself, I believed I could add some sensitivity to it. Bringing this subject into the public eye could help people be more open and not feel as if they were alone. When mentioning this in class on being asked what I was considering doing for the project, it wasn’t well-received. I got the impression that people would find it difficult to speak about and view. However, to me, people are talking more now about what they have experienced throughout their lives. This is catalogued more, whether the subject has been in mediums of text, spoken about or produced art including photographs. If you go back twenty or thirty years ago it wouldn’t have been spoken of and it’s not a subject that could have been approached.

Unfortunately, whilst in class discussing our ideas, I noticed a huge separation within the group and felt excluded. At that point, I tried to reconnect with the people in the class but that didn’t seem to be working. Deciding to work online, it was then I thought I should perhaps do something based on bullying and my emotions.

After watching a news article on yew trees in the same week as The Climate Change Conference my head was buzzing with ideas and my trail of thought with regards to producing a project on the word for ‘RAW’ began. Having a few previous ideas being; emotions, bullying, trees, climate change and how man is destroying our beautiful planet, I wondered if it was possible to pull them all together.  For trees to grow within their raw natural environment, they need these elements which are; earth, air, fire (the sun) and water. The earth is where they grow, the air is needed for carbon dioxide, the sun for photosynthesis, and water for survival. The fifth element needed is spirit.

I felt if I could create a body of work that fitted the brief it would be amazing.  It would allow me to use my camera as a way of therapy to help me work through what I had been going through, not bringing certain individuals to light, the interpretation could be seen by the viewer as something they could relate to. To symbolise this I chose to photograph trees in an abstract way, using them as a decoy from the real meaning behind the photography.  I was hoping the viewer would stop and think, looking beyond the surface of the image. The underlying theme was bullying which also had raw emotions attached to each image, this would be noted in the name which each image was known by locals to the area.

In the early stages, I initially wanted the project to be about the yew trees but on doing some research I found there could be a way of expanding that, including different species of trees which had a history behind them. Firstly by looking on the internet, I found The Celtic Rainforest website. A page gave contact details (Keep in touch, 2019), locations (The Celtic Rainforests Forest locations, 2019).  I telephoned those speaking to people who looked after the trees within each area, continuing with The Woodland Trust (Ancient Trees, n.d.) and the Snowdonia Forestry Commission (Ancient Trees, 2016). Due to their heavy workload, I could not meet people face to face however they gave me website links that had valuable information such as the history of the trees, locations, their environment and caring for them to help with their longevity. 

On accessing the information from the trusts I found ancient and veteran trees ranging from eight hundred to between five and six thousand years old, each had a narrative of the actual history of the tree, it gives an idea of their character and spirit, longevity and strength. With all these things in mind, I then thought of the current issues in the world as a whole and the problems of deforestation and climate change.  As this was the case I wanted to make sure that was catalogued because if anything happens to these trees, despite their preservation orders, it would be a shame to lose that part of history. I chose to access several other websites looking at more research: Wanderlust, Countryfile Magazine Online, Woodland Trust, Historic England and The Wildlife Trusts.

When considering this project, I would need to know what I would get from it personally, if a narrative was possible, plan the journeys, consider factors such as the time of year and lighting, also whether financially viable.