This mini feature showcases one of the eighteen open submission portfolios selected for inclusion in our printed journal based on the theme of the right to roam
The submitted images are from an ongoing series of work called, Excepted Land. It’s a project rooted firmly in the concept of restricted landscape. The project has caused untold encounters with police and security staff, even plain clothed police officers with machine guns at Menwith Hill!
This work isn’t overtly political; I’m not looking to challenge the usage of these landscapes by photographing them. I’m trying to use the restrictions as a way to highlight the complex systems that are in place, often in remote areas, that facilitate our modern lives. Many of the subjects I capture are part of a system that makes something we take for granted work. It’s often the case that those systems are hidden from view or buried deep within the landscape.
I use a combination of long exposure, ambient and fabricated lighting to create ethereal renderings of the subjects in my work. I like to subvert the view of the landscape by using these techniques, transforming their interpretation into something otherworldly.
There’s an element of risk; a nervous energy to covertly confront these landscapes. There’s the challenge in physically putting yourself in the space. The process is cathartic for me; the feeling of isolation and calm when in these spaces, often at night, is an awakening. You become hyperaware of a space when being in it for so long, watching the same view, taking in every movement.
The CROW (Countryside and Rights of Way) Act, or “Right to Roam” Act, excludes the right of access to land known as ‘excepted land’ even if it appears as open access land on maps. These restrictions vary from military bylaws to land covered by structures like electricity substations, wind turbines or telephone masts.
The advent of online mapping accentuates unseen, restricted landscapes by their absence. Where mapping vehicles haven’t been able to pass, the map is less detailed, pixelated or simply doesn’t provide any data. Excepted Land connects disparate systems via a complex relationship to land, access, and transparency.
The full set of images from the open submission are shown below (click to view image larger in the original format).
CREDITS
Unless otherwise stated, all words and images in this article are © Alan Silvester
THE JOURNAL
Our biggest, most content packed, and socially current publication to date, exploring the theme of the right to roam. Featuring an introduction by our very own co-founder Rob Hudson and a selection of work from 37 contributors, including the one featured above. Click on the image of the journal cover below to take you to the journal’s information and ordering page.
