The Fens, a region of reclaimed marshland in eastern England, is
one of the richest arable areas of the UK. Paul Hart has been
photographing this landscape of agribusiness over the last six
years.
In FARMED he explores this wide-open environment, a linear
landscape of straight lines and flat horizons, which is monoculture
at it's core. Hart’s narrative pin points the objects that remain,
when all that surrounds has been cleared by modern agricultural
practice. He conveys nature’s vulnerability within this unsheltered
and unprotected environment.
Hart's working method is in the vein of documentary, exploring
our relationship with the landscape by highlighting elements that
are so often overlooked. He employs the analogue process and
traditional darkroom techniques, to convey something of the
soulful in a landscape that is rarely considered.
Paul Hart (b. 1961) graduated from Nottingham Trent University (UK) with a BA (Hons) Photography in 1988. He has concentrated on long-term, self initiated projects for exhibition and publication for the past 16 years. Hart works primarily with the black & white analogue process, as sole craftsman from the moment the negative is exposed to creation of the final silver gelatin print. His work is internationally exhibited & resides in a number of important collections. Dewi Lewis have published three monographs of his work & for over a decade Hart has collaborated with Ilford Photo.
