About Hidden Landscapes

"Hidden Landscapes" documents the evolution of former colliery lands in Northeast England, revealing layers of change in such post-industrial spaces.

These terrains are written into my social, cultural and physical heritage, their narrative intertwined with my family's legacy of hardship and resilience. My work illuminates what most eyes pass by - the exquisite beauty in the detail of the primarily overlooked organisms that orchestrate ecological recovery.

When the pits closed, they left more than physical scars. Communities, resilient in the face of adversity, lost not just livelihoods but identity and purpose. The hasty "greening" of spoil heaps attempted to erase industrial heritage, as people were expected to simply move on. Yet healing - whether of environment, society, or self - rarely follows such simple prescriptions. In returning to these liminal spaces, I've come to understand my own sense of loss and grief and discovered that restoration emerges when we pause to notice the subtle details and orchestration of renewal beneath our feet.

I capture overlooked agents of change: fungi that turn endings into beginnings, weaving death back into life's cycles; lichens - those remarkable creative unions of distinct organisms - spreading their collaborative tapestries across weathered stone and young bark; pioneering plants pushing through and restoring damaged soil. These organisms don't fight against the site's industrial heritage; they incorporate it into new forms of being. Their work mirrors how genuine healing often progresses: not by denying trauma but by transforming it into a foundation for new growth.

This exploration unfolds through four connected themes: TRACES reveals visible signatures of industry - chemically altered rock and mineral shifts marking human intervention. TRANSFORMATION depicts nature's recyclers at work - fungi, slime moulds, and decomposers redistributing matter. RECLAMATION follows pioneer species, especially lichens, inhabiting harsh surfaces. RENEWAL celebrates returning biodiversity - wildflowers, seeds, and life forms indicating ecosystem revival.

The images frequently abstract natural forms to reveal core qualities - globulous slime moulds become a meditation on temporality, lichen patterns embody endurance, and decaying matter showcases artistry in transition. These views invite observers beyond surface appearances to find beauty in the overlooked and recognise life's smallest participants in cycles of transformation.

This collection stands as both witness and participant in these processes of change. Each image honours what was lost, what endures, and the anticipation of what might be, revealing beauty in these cycles of interconnection and rebirth. Together, they suggest how various forms of healing emerge from damaged places while transformation remains our constant companion.