The Shot I Never Forgot Interview
July 2013
The Shot I Never Forgot.
Blog site Our World My Eye interviewed Davies for their series ‘The Shot I Never Forgot’.
Editior John House asks Photographers to share an image they have taken, that has never been used for anything, but has always stayed with them. Davies chose an image from the Dwellings sereis that was not included in the first edit.
http://www.ourworldmyeye.com/posttopics/photography/ellie-davies-shot-forgot/
ELLIE DAVIES – THE SHOT I NEVER FORGOT
I am very excited about this latest submission for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, I have been following Ellie’s work for some time, finding myself jealous of her lovely projects – wishing I had come up with the ideas myself!
Secondly, I love the working method adopted to make the work, working alone in woodland and instigating small acts of engagement to create installations among the natural forms. Whether painting leaves or creating a structure from found material, these constructs are then Photographed and it is the images that form the public face of the work. I find something very appealing about the fact the Photograph is the process of recording something that has been created as much as creating a new work in its own right.
Thirdly, the process of choosing an image to submit seemed to be a cathartic process for Ellie, who made peace with one of the images from her series ‘Dwellings’.
What more can you ask from a submission! (John House)
The image was taken in Puddleton Forest just outside Dorchester in Dorset, UK.
This particular image was made in an area of the forest which is predominantly very dark pine plantation. There are a few people walking dogs on the paths but as you go into the denser forest it feels very isolated. Earlier in the day I had found a treehouse in the woods and it had obviously been recently occupied. It is unusual to find actual habitation in those woods and it changed the atmosphere. It looked as if the people using it had been forcible removed from the area because there was rubbish all around it and a lot of signs of destruction. I prefer to work in forests where I am unlikely to be disturbed or observed or perhaps feel any threat, but this discovery had unnerved me and I felt a heightened awareness of the forest and sounds around me.
This image strongly evokes those uncomfortable feelings for me. The darkened pathway leading into the background suggests my state of mind and sense of discomfort. The suggested presence of other people in the woods is an important theme throughout my work and for this reason I am glad to have revisited this image and bring it back into the series where it belongs. Ellie Davies.