Be there: The Tanfield Monument, St. John the Baptist, Burford.
For me, this monument is one of the finest in the country – containing the effigies of Sir Lawrence Tanfield and his wife Elizabeth.
For me, this monument is one of the finest in the country – containing the effigies of Sir Lawrence Tanfield and his wife Elizabeth.
I walk down through the nave, drawn towards a doorway that cradles a rarefied luminescence — a mingling of dappled colour from stained glass, the glint of refracted light on metal, and a hint of the golden radiance that spring has blessed us with this year.
One of the most remarkable churches in England.
As I sketch, the people of this town come and go – their conversations rise and fall. The bar staff change shifts; time dissolves, and outside, the timber framing stands unmoved.
I think this visual and connective way of observing might be a by-product of my work, where thousands upon thousands of patterns and styles have been embossed onto my memory through my lens.
I gave myself permission to stop and enjoy it, and to take time to photograph it, inspite of the curious glances from passers by.
Buzzing with this new perspective, I set about photographing elements like this in the hope of sharing the singularity of the occasion with others, and with the wish of disseminating the pattern like a wind blown daisy seed - a bit of heritage grafting with the aid of my camera.
This is a place of transition – between land and water, between heaven and earth, between time and tide. On a quiet, sunlit morning, it feels like a place on the edge of something, caught between the elements.
On top of the deliberate and crafted acts within the material of this magnificent edifice, I’m struck by the hidden layers woven into its fabric - not just in the grandeur of alabaster tombs or chevroned arches, but in the silent details
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The Genius Loci Digest can be explored through a series of themed lenses — different routes through photographs, journeys, places and ideas.
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