Biography
My videos are studies of people and place. They are multi-layered rhythmic montages of sounds, voices, images and narratives, the product of wandering, chance encounters and observations, combined with a considered editing process.
I film on the banks of the River Thames at the estuary in Kent and Essex and in the river's tidal stretch in London.. The works are concerned with memory, time, transience, nature, history, change and continuity. These themes are expressed through content – stories, recollections and characters; footage charting the passage of time and tides; and locations rich in historical and poetic association such as forts, wrecks and the river itself. Meaning is also conveyed through the structure of the films – the way in which stories are interwoven with footage and sound, sonic patterns and rhythms.
An important influence is ‘Heart of Darkness’, in which Joseph Conrad drew tales of empire, exploration, conquest and war from the Thames. ‘And indeed nothing is easier...than to evoke the great spirit of the past upon the lower reaches of the Thames.’ Rivers were associated with death, rebirth, memory and oblivion in classical literature and religious texts.
I am interested in human interaction with the landscape. This leads me to record the experiences of people in a given area. Their presence adds meaning to my interpretation and evocation of place. I seek to create a multi-dimensional and multi-sensory portrait of the landscape encompassing sight, sound, memory, time, history, human experience and space.
The editing process is a central part of the final work. It is like writing a song or a piece of music.
