Exmoor Photography Exploration

The Exmoor Project centers on the daily ritual of visiting the moor, a practice that soon revealed a deeper connection to cycles and repetition. As the days unfolded, my reflections turned to the circular patterns shaping my experience. Symbols of circles and figures of eight seemed to accompany me with uncanny regularity. Each day, I climbed into my car, drove to the same destination, and walked the same path. The sound of my steps trudging through the wet moorland became a familiar sound, almost echoing the monotony of the routine.

Throughout these journeys, I began to notice recurring themes—emptiness, water, and circles. A stone circle on the moor emerged as a powerful emblem of the project. It drew me to explore elements that mirrored my emotional landscape: the rawness of exposed earth, the veils of mist shifting across the moor, and the sweeping contours of the terrain. These features became metaphors for my inner world, reflecting my state of mind in ways both subtle and profound.

Exmoor Project

I delved into the study of paths, roads, and the intricate topography of the landscape, using these as a framework for understanding the journey. Water, too, became a key motif—both a reflective surface and a symbol of mystery, hinting at the unknown depths of my thoughts. The grasses often swayed like tides, their rhythms evoking a sense of timelessness, monotony, or the feeling of being trapped in an eternal cycle. Shadows and patches of exposed earth occasionally revealed a stark vulnerability, mirroring my own.

One constant presence in this exploration is the hill I walk almost daily. It looms as an enigmatic figure in my narrative, symbolising something I cannot fully articulate. I feel a magnetic pull towards it—it has become a metaphorical mountain, a challenge that demands to be faced. I often wonder: how many times must I climb it before I conquer it, or perhaps, before I conquer something within myself?

This ongoing journey has taken shape as a photo essay, a work that refuses to find its conclusion. I continue to document and add to it, searching for answers that feel just out of reach. Perhaps, with time, the landscape and its patterns will unveil what I seek.