Journey Along the Foreign Land, Vol. II

Having migrated from Central Europe as a child and settled in the UK almost two decades ago, I’ve often struggled with a sense of national identity, home, and belonging.  Spending time by myself in the countryside on long and varied walks through the changing landscapes of the North Pennines, Lake District, and North York Moors provides many opportunities to reflect on my own connections to the land.

In so doing, the walks became journeys of rediscovery, in which the camera became a means to document and preserve. These excursions have allowed me to investigate the symbiotic relationship between us and the land, but at the same time, I have become aware of the disconnection and distortions that exist within us all, which are mirrored in the landscape.

With this project, my goal was to capture the emotional outcry of our land, intertwined with the vanishing rural landscapes that provide a window into a way of life that is changing.  I take photographs of aged, abandoned ruins within the British countryside, revealing the often complex relationships between the natural world and a society in flux.