Sometimes, I feel overwhelmed. Not just by the things in society which trouble me such as the government, wars, cost of living, animal welfare, and Covid but also by what now seems a plethora of ‘sustainable’ photographic voices.
I am not the first photographer interested in environmental matters. I am not the first to consider my photographic footprint in the creation of my work - although possibly one of the earliest in what has become a current ‘hot’ UK photography sector topic, particularly for those artists working with alternative photography processes. But I am humbled to learn from a previous lecturer on my MA (2016-2018) that I “helped to set a standard for the MA in terms of sustainability concerns and best practice”.
And it is good we have a variety of voices challenging the art form we love to be more sustainable. But what does that truly mean for photography?
A project taking shape in Cornwall via Exeter University’s Environment and Sustainability Institute is led by Falmouth University lecturer and photographer, Oliver Raymond Barker. Titled Origin Of Silver, the description on the ESI website is very similar to some elements of the wording of my PhD proposal, which I need to accept by 29 April if I am to start in September 2022. The project is considering what it deems is photography’s stumbling block, silver. I’m looking forward to what Oliver and the other artists/scientists uncover, and I have to acknowledge, I would have loved to have been a part of it, but hopefully the outcome can be considered in my PhD, Sustaining a photographic shift through sustainable practices: is this photography’s next evolution?
I don’t want this growing interest in the environmental impact of photography just to be the latest craze. And sometimes not being a part of the work others are bringing to the table can feel frustrating. I’m passionate about bringing these voices together, regardless of professional/academic level and, I hope I’m not alone as this feels a little uncomfortable to say, but by not being a part of something on my doorstep it almost feels like a rebuke, as if there’s a gang that won’t let me join or I’m not picked for the rounders team. I’ll put my ego back in its box now, as I know this isn’t the case in the slightest.
Recognising my time limitations is something I have to accept - I still have to hold down a demanding full-time job. But it is why my PhD is very real-world focused. It will be rooted in individuals, communities, farming, fishing, and the photographic industry, drawing on practice-based outcomes and the psychology of aesthetics to dig deeper into how nature-based solutions can be combined for the benefit of our natural and photographic worlds.
Although our consumerist society can feel overwhelming at times, my work can’t just create more ‘stuff’ and this is a constant balancing act. Can photography truly evolve and from its very base level offer alternatives to the manufacturing processes it relies on?
Time will tell. And hopefully, so will the plethora of creative photographic artists looking more deeply at the topic, including me.