Exhibition & Analysis.

Ever since my last post I've been working on a project with the City Council: a booklet, short film and photo-exhibition.

Yesterday (April 27th 2010) I got the exhibition confirmed at Manchester Museum; opening in late May/early June - From here it will tour numerous other locations in the city.

The accompanying photograph of an urban fox will be one of the images touring.

The exhibition itself is an exploration and urban nature in and around Greater Manchester, it is a collaborative project between Manchester City Council's biodiversity action plan and my own PhD research. I'm also working on getting the images exhibited at local hospitals, and will have more on that as time passes.

In mid-June I'll also be events photographer at Bristol Festival of Nature for the weekend, so let me know if you're heading down that way!

A Flawed System

- and the 21st century man.

Potentially now so far detached from nature that any contact with the natural world is mediated by HD technology, coffee table portfolios, magazines, or driving to the local zoo to see a wild animal (caged and unfit, uncomfortable, unhappy). This lion (above) was living life in an enclosure that prevented him from ever reaching his top speed, but do these details matter for anything but the welfare of the animal?

Indeed, these topics of conversation were not audible at the zoo, above the choir of 'ooh Daddy, a Lion' echoing across the tarmac pavements. I just don't want to see urban society begin missing the point of nature being natural so badly that cards delivered at Christmas time, decorated with a snow-covered Robin are replied to with 'what's that bird called?' - A grim thought, but really impossible? I'm not so sure.

A Robin red breast in a cage. Puts all heaven in a rage - Auguries of Innocence, William Blake.

At the Foot of a Mountain.

The first step of any project is usually quite daunting, how do you choose a direction when faced with 360 degrees of choice? As I write this I'm in a similar position, that is, beginning my PhD at the University of Salford: a 3 year journey which will no doubt take me through every possible emotion a single human being can process. But hey, I'm ready.

I'll be using this blog to not only make new friends, but to cast out ideas on my progress, gather opinions from a wider audience, and curse Microsoft Word for not inspiring me when things get tough.

The Research: (Working title) Urban Wilderness: a practice-based study on the disconnection between humans and native wildlife in Greater Manchester, UK, and how this separation may be resolved through digital photography.

The above is currently a working-title used for my research proposal, I'll go into further detail later - To minimise what could be an overly ambitious attempt at a first entry.

Please feel free to leave any initial thoughts, questions and comments. I'll be interested in any contributions! Thanks for reading.

Luke Blazejewski.