PRIVATE VIEW: 'Heartwood' at the West Downs Gallery

‘Heartwood’ is a photographic study into the landscape of Old Winchester Hill. Located in the South Downs National Park the hill extends to 150 acres of National Nature Reserve and is home to many species of rare plants and wildlife. The area has a rich and complex history expanding from the Iron Age to the present day and is preserved as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

The history of the hill forms a number of winding pathways which are at first hard to follow. My approach has been to study the landscape from a variety of different perspectives and to build a strong personal connection with the land. This practice driven body of work has been informed by diverse strands of enquiry, from direct experience to scientific studies, each evoking the landscapes multifaceted character.

Using a range of cameras, I find ways through which the land may reveal its underlying stories and history. Using night vision infrared sensitive cameras, I observe how animals inhabit the forests and disappear during the day. I also document the archaeological artefacts the hill has gifted over the decades and research into the history of its human inhabitation. I have spent many months walking the land and used a digital camera to document the experience of being there at all times of day and in all types of weather. Finally, I took a British 1940's MPP Micro Technical large format camera into the most wounded part of the forest. During World War II the military used the hillsides as a site for testing mortars and in response to this, I have created a set of images looking at the hill as something that has stood witness to man’s inhumanity to man.

This deeply personal journey has raised a number of important points for further study and critique. Through a process of slowing down and landscape immersion, I have found that I enter a state of heightened sensory awareness, where the camera becomes a mode for shifting consciousness and perception. I have also discovered that myth speaks of the hill being the original site for the capital of England whereas ancient maps chose to omit the hill entirely from their records. From whichever perspective we choose, this hill of many names remains elusive, and like photographs, we piece together our understanding through fragments of time and imagination.

David Tipper 2024

Host or Publisher Earth Resonance