Fenlands

‘Fenlands’ is a series of 10 photographic sequences documenting journeys through the Fenlands in East Anglia in the UK. The area is a low-lying arable region – originally marshland that was drained and reclaimed as farming land in the 17th century – which predominantly lies beneath sea level and has a series of drainage banks protecting the area from flooding. The landscape is flat and minimal, creating very bleak but beautiful views. The city of Cambridge, where I am based, lies at the southern border of the region. The work is influenced by the documentary photography of Hilla and Bernd Becher, along with Ed Ruscha’s Sunset Strip photographs, which rejoice in their mundane subject matter while also exploring the use of photography in the area of map making and recording journeys.