Sunday Spotlight: Jesse Alexander

Project Title:  The Silent Land

Artist Statement: The Silent Land documents a Forestry Commission plantation managed for timber and recreational use, which grows on the remains of ancient lead works on the Mendip Hills where in 2016 a local man chose to end his life. Against the backdrop of seasonal change and the cycles that are observed over several years, the work explores the elegiac potential of the land and the memorializing act of photography. The work attempts to invite questions around the paradox of outdoor, ‘natural’ spaces – how these provide well documented benefits for health and wellbeing, but are often infused with pathos and melancholy, and are frequently the destination of choice for those seeking to end their lives.

Bio: Jesse Alexander (b. Bristol, 1982) studied at the Surrey Institute of Art & Design (Farnham) and the University of Wales Newport, and is a photographer, writer on photography and lecturer based in Somerset. His writing and projects are primarily concerned with landscape and the representation of place, and he is the author of Perspectives on Place: Theory & Practice in Landscape Photography (2015). Jesse has taught photography since 2007 and developed an expertise in teaching photography at a distance. He is currently Course Leader for MA Photography at Falmouth University.

You can find more of Jesse’s work on his website.