Agnes, Fergus, Gerrit, Henk, Isha, Jocelyn, Babet, Ciaran, Debi, Elin
10 named storms in the UK this winter
This year’s winter storms seemed more extreme, with each successive storm bringing more and more rainfall (10 named storms this winter) the waters rose, land flooded, water voles escaped from their flooded banks, land repurposed temporarily.
The water currents, strong and cold, bring a compelling beauty seen only by those that live along the edge.
Influenced in part by the environmental drone photography of Burtynsky, The Wash Fields was created using a camera and drone, to better show the dramatic impact of flooding on the land below and the scale of the wash fields, as seen from above.
I photographed the flooded wash from several key points along the river, shooting over the unprecedented series of storms encountered this year.
The Wash Fields is a story about environmental impact but also a personal story.
I explore the visual and physical passage of the flood as the waters move relentlessly across the Whittlesey wash fields where I live.
I am visualising the scale of the waters and how increasing levels of flooding impact the land whilst also witnessing its still, cold beauty, strength and vastness. I walk my dog across these fields every day. When winter arrives and water comes to visit, the landscape changes for days or weeks closing roads and flooding the fields as far as you can see. I wait for tides to turn so that the vast swathes of water can make their way back out to sea and free the land.
In a future where flooding and climate change will dramatically alter the already changing topography, the projects asks, what is the future for the wash fields?
MA Final Major Project
