Peninsula (2018)
Knoydart is a peninsula situated between Loch Nevis and Loch Hourn located on the West Coast of Scotland. Nestled within approximately fifty five thousand acres is the village of Inverie, which is called home by roughly one hundred and twenty people. Airor, where most of this series was created, houses just seven people. Knoydart is remote, so remote that it is only accessible by boat or a sixteen mile walk through rough country terrain. It is often referred to as Britain's "Last Wilderness".
I first became aware of Knoydart when my partners friend relocated there in 2014. During the quiet New Year months of 2016 we with our then five month old daughter made the long trip from the East Midlands in England by train, and then by boat. The first time we visited was a period of huge personal change, chiefly; navigating the same challenges as all new parents. Figuring out how to look after a new life and surviving on broken sleep whilst trying to continue with our usual daily commitments.
My personal anxiety about becoming a new parent was the loss of time I would have for myself. The time and opportunity to be creative, to reflect. Solitude. Before our trip this loss had begun to occur yet in Knoydart I was able to find space, and the resulting series from two visits to the peninsula depict meditative moments within the landscape. The making of this work reaffirmed how important it is for me to be connected to my surroundings and the ways that I can use space as a restorative environment.
