Nature, Urban Spaces & Photographic Alchemy
My cyanotype practice is a fusion of photography, nature, and experimentation - where light, chemistry, and found objects transform into striking blueprints of the world around us. Through these projects, I explore the hidden relationships between nature and urban spaces, using the historic cyanotype process to capture the ephemeral beauty of organic and man-made materials.
The process - Glasgow, 2024
Before and After - Glasgow, 2024
The Green Man, a 100-piece cyanotype (in progress) - Glasgow, 2025
For one of my projects, I began wandering in Alexandra Park, an easily accessible yet surprisingly remote-feeling environment. As I moved through the space, I collected plants, leaves, dog hair, and even small pieces of rubbish like plastic bottles. However, I was struck by how clean the area was - my initial expectation of finding discarded human traces gave way to a more immersive connection with the land itself.
Lying among the leaves, looking at the sky, and touching the plants and soil, I felt an instinctive connection to the place. It was a return to a childlike state - free, uninhibited, purely responding to my surroundings. This experience shaped my approach, leading me to create a “Green Man,” a figure emerging from the natural elements I gathered, embodying the spirit of the park.
This project also connects to one of my earlier works, Past Is Present, in which I explore how traces of the past remain embedded in the present landscape.
In 2023, I was honoured to be the featured artist at the Big Art Show in Paisley, organized by Outspoken Arts. My piece, Past Is Present, was presented as a large-scale moving image projection within the RE:MARKS exhibition space - formerly the renowned Marks & Spencer’s store, which had been transformed into a striking post-industrial art venue.
The show welcomed 12,500 visitors, and the space itself, with its exposed brick and steel structure, provided a raw and immersive environment that echoed iconic art venues like Tramway and Fruitmarket.
For Past Is Present, I worked with a range of photographic techniques and materials, using a digital camera with various lenses, two film cameras, and my own hand-built analog camera, loaded with Kodak Professional Portra 400 Colour 120 Negative Film - expired in June 2005, meaning it was 18 years out of date.
Through this project, I explore the dialogue between nature and urban life, encouraging new ways of seeing and engaging with our surroundings.
Past is Present, a large-scale moving image projection
Big Art Show, RE:MARKS, organized by Outspoken Art - Paisley, 2023
Alongside these, I conducted a series of cyanotype experiments, transferring selected images into cyanotypes, which emphasized the interplay between memory, time, and transformation. The project culminated in a limited edition book, further preserving the visual narrative of Paisley’s evolving landscape.
