Landscape, a space we enter and a place we leave. Regardless of original intent the landscape has a changing effect upon us. This may be a learned response to aesthetic beauty or alternatively ugliness, but it is often much more, something subconscious. Something unknown, illogical, barely registered and hidden. Locked away somewhere deep inside to be remembered at a later date to prepare us for a response to a similar circumstance.
What else occurs in response to the unknown or uncertainty? Anxiety? Fear? Do we learn to avoid the situation or do we revel in the exhilaration? Do we compartmentalise and move on, consciously ignoring the sweating palms and pounding chest?
Modern times have resulted in new fears driving us to a myriad of responses to our environment and society. Those responses no longer carry the same gravity as in the past; for what now those base responses designed to maintain survival?
Do we create our own myths; Legends, salvations, excuses and justifications for a presumed weakness?
We have an opportunity to create our own legacy, a personal mythology and in doing so we may well find ourselves.
ABOUT STEPHEN SEGASBY
Stephen’s inspiration stems from environment. The exploration and experience of travelling through landscape, natural, constructed and imagined. A reference to ‘space’ and ‘place’ is often present as he reflects a simple and direct conversation with natural and cultural environments and a human response to them.
Stephen is committed to maintaining a hands-on approach in the production of the final print. He continues to use traditional methods of film based image recording, self development using specialist developers and darkroom printing skills in the production of the highest quality silver gelatin, albumen and platinum/palladium prints. This is not for nostalgic reasons, digital processes still feature within some of his workflow, but the digital print has yet to yield a result that Stephen feels shares the same ‘soul’ as a traditional or alternative process print. Stephen feels that creativity continues in an almost sculptural way through the manual process of crafting these prints. He derives much personal pleasure and satisfaction from working in this way.
You can contact and view more of Stephen’s work through his website and other online presence
Website: stephensegasby.com
Twitter: @SteveSeg
Instagram: @stevesegs
CREDITS
Unless otherwise stated, all words and images in this article are © Stephen Segasby
