Upstream
The landscape of Cornwall is diverse and unique. Between the bleak moorlands dotted with ruined pump houses and scenic coastlines with picturesque fishing villages, there lie a series of wooded valleys carved by meandering streams and rivers. Often bounded by private farmland or dense woodland these areas are often hidden from view and unfrequented by both tourists and photographers.
The tantalising glimpses of the river seen from the road and the Looe Valley railway provided the initial impetus for this project. Driven by a desire to explore these seemingly inaccesible places, the purchase of a touring Kayak was followed by countless paddling trips and many hours out on the water. Navigating rivers in a kayak allows access to locations that cannot be reached by road or on foot. It also offers a different perspective and experience of the landscape, a key factor in the development of this work. All of the images in this body of work were taken from the water using a micro four-thirds digital camera without the use of a tripod. They are ‘digital sketches’, perhaps just the foundation for a more technically refined project, but which still offer an insight into these places where land and water meet.
This project was not driven a specific agenda or intention to investigate any context, simply a desire to explore and photograph a new environment. Repeated visits to certain locations at different times of day and over a period of weeks and months have revealed a complex and beautiful landscape in a perpetual state of transition. The ebb and flow of the tide, the changes between the seasons and the traces of human presence along the river banks have emerged as recurring themes.
