In The Nature Of Being

In the Nature of Being explores the complexities of our contemporary relationship with nature. It is the outcome of a personal journey to understand whether the relationship is ‘fit for purpose’. It is about a ‘middle England’ which is the front line of environmental battles.

Nothing is static in the world we live in, and the present is shrouded in the multitude of activities which occupy today. Only with the benefit of hindsight are our underlying values usually revealed. In the Nature of Being invites the viewer to look deeply into the everyday, looking beyond the immediate, and so to glimpse an understanding of our relationship with the world around as it is today. To distinguish contemporary perception from reality.

The work uses the West Yorkshire village of East Keswick as its subject. It has been my home for the last 20 years. After centuries as a small tenant-farming community, the latter half of the 20th century saw it turn into a sought after place of residence for urban professionals of Yorkshire’s golden triangle of Leeds, York and Harrogate. Seemingly pretty, safe and affluent - this is ‘middle England’ where today’s residents are not constrained by the hardships of the past. But, a middle England whose actions are crucial to the outcome of current environmental crises.

So what does closeness to nature mean here? How do we execute our freedom of choice? How do we relate to what is around us? Just who and what are we?