The Silent Land by Jesse Alexander

Last year we did some Flextight scanning for Jesse Alexander’s ‘The Silent Land’. It’s wonderful to now be able to hold a copy of this excellently produced book!

“‘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 in Somerset where in 2016 a local man chose to end his life. Against the backdrop of seasonal change and cycles observed over several years, the work explores the elegiac potential of the land and the memorializing act of photography. The work attempts to ask questions around the paradox of outdoor, ‘natural’ spaces, and explores 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.”

Shot on Fuji Provia 120 with a Mamiya 7, these landscapes perfectly document this location.