Where next on the Road to Elgol (Week 11)

I have really enjoyed focusing on a tiny aspect of the Road to Elgol – The Reeds of Loch Cill Chriosd – in Sustainable Prospects. It has enabled me to spend more quality time in the landscape, slow down my practice and allow my thoughts, feelings and emotions to surface. In this respect I feel I am now fulfilling the brief I set myself, which was to convey my experience of the Road through my imagery.

After submitting my Work in Progress Portfolio my mind has inevitably moved on to ideas and thoughts about what to do as my work in progress for the next module Informing Contexts. 

As I have said before I am obsessed with the Black Cuillin a foreboding mountain range that dominates the Road to Elgol. Much of that obsession, and indeed fear, is borne out of a fascination with the mystery of these hills. I would like to spend more time photographing them and attempting to convey to others what it is that captures my imagination.

At this stage I am considering trying to focus on the ridge of the Cuillin taking it from various angles and vantage points and in different weather conditions. I hope to do some colour work – using the subtle winter palette of Skye – and also continue with my monochrome image making.

I would like to continue trying to build multi-layered meaning within my images and to develop my skills in writing words to accompany them.

I have recently been looking at the work of Axel Hutte, a German contemporary photographer and find his work interesting and exciting. His often close up images of the wider landscape lead to the de-contextualisation aspect of a sense of place. It is no longer important where the image has been taken and the viewer is left to focus on the details and levels of meaning in his images. Many of them have an ethereal and semi-abstract aesthetic. More to come in later journal entries.

I will be spending an extended period of time over the next two months on Skye and hope to try out the Black Cuillin idea as a concept and also work on some other micro projects during my favourite time of year.