Last weekend I read something on Bob Fischer’s Blog, The Haunted Generation. He was talking about a new Hauntologically inspired band “Orbury Common”. Orbury Common being a made-up place name, but it felt so right. The words “Orbury Common” resonated with me all week.
Charlecote Park in Warwickshire, a National Trust property has the work of Capability Brown written all over it. Outside of the more manicured garden and into the Deer Park is a patch of land that draws me in. Rugged and less managed than other parts. This was my Orbury Common. Not wanting to completely Rip off Orbury Commons concept, I decided to do a Micro project on this spot of land and call it “The Parklands Commission".
I decided to get the damn project done in one weekend, I had an idea of a micro project of 3 images that attempt to give the sense of place of this spot in the park. I wasn't interested in amazing compositions or prints for the wall. I just wanted 3 images that tried to give something of what I felt here. Translating the sense of place being the only and overriding drive.
I gave myself the task to use only the negatives I had taken on the day, no further trips for more shots. I also chose to do it in one darkroom session. Quick to finish, quick to fail. It was just what I needed. I sometimes feel that with photography; composition, exposure etc are intermediatory skills, understanding your psychology to create the images you want and not crash and burn, that’s God level photography. Recently I’ve been hit by a new issue, after getting increasingly creative, creativity that seemed to be growing with each new post, I’ve now hit a ceiling, that ceiling being quite a bit below where I wanted. I think I found the cure, just “be at one with the mediocracy”. Stop caring, just go out and shoot the stuff you feel you need. Stop caring that it’s not progressive enough, stop caring that it’s not being creative, just shoot what you feel like shooting in the moment. Maybe creativities like a wave, sometimes you just aren’t being creative, sometimes you are, but if you stop shooting, you break the wave.
I’m happy with these 3 images, I’m being kind to myself. I might set myself a task to make them again – “Parklands Commission – Redux” a remixed album when I’m feeling even more creative. I think Photographically it was OK as a project, a more interesting idea could come from trying to find a way to show the internal effect this landscape has inside my mind. For now, I have completed a micro body of work. A body of work thats done and dusted in one hit. It’s time for a mini-Celebration.
