THE SPIRIT OF NATURE, POETRY OF THE EARTH 1995

POETRY OF THE EARTH PHOTOGRAPHIC SKETCHES OF DEVON

Spirit of Nature is a remarkable example of collaboration between many organisations, each with a common aim - to increase awareness of our natural and historic environment, and actively to encourage its care and conservation.

The catalyst for this is the photography of Roger Polley and John Woodman. The visual content of Spirit of Nature springs from their study of a number of specific sites in Devon which are in turn part of the Devon County Council's Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS), a pioneering project reliant upon partnership between landowners and the County Council. Polley and Woodman researched and photographed nine of the one hundred ELMS sites in Devon from which their 'sketches' are carefully constructed. These reflect and interpret the landscape, recording changes and differences over a period of time, vividly representing local distinctiveness. The use or historic tithe maps further reinforces this perspective.

A sense of place, of belonging, of caring for a parcel of land which is often quite easily encompassed by the camera lens, is emphasised by the landowners' own thoughts accompanying the photographs. Essays and poems from wider sources further develop the theme of environmental concern, with contributors including Michael Dower, Tim Williams, Edward Chorlton, John Fowles and Richard Mabey. An historic perspective is lent by exhacts from the poems of John Clare and and the writings of Richard Jefferies and others.

Together, through Spirit of Nature, they celebrate the poetry of the Earth.