Vastitas Anima II

Bayham Abbey, Lamberhurst Quarter

In the first cycle, an interpretation of 'restoration' or the incarnate 'spirit at work is foregrounded within the ruins of Bayham Abbey. This is given through the tension in the sandstones. In technical terms, this is achieved through a process of gelatin etching, to create a sense of visual disruption and shifting movement where none exists: a 'restoration' from the present nihilation and contemporary ruins is then the journey which is emphasised, and finds its more meaningful correlate in interiority. In searching for a visual method to restore the viewer towards a greater intimation of the sense of spiritual mystery inherent in Bayham Abbey, the defacement of the photographic imaging process through gelatin etching enacts a destruction of the visual experience of the abbey in order to achieve a prefiguration of the former glory of Bayham Abbey. In the last image of this cycle, the technique of multiple exposure is sparingly used in order to build up one image onto another, thus creating verisimilitude. It's effect privileges the small scale phantasy of simultaneity: that the destroyed wall exists with its foundation and thus constructs a less fragmented Bayham Abbey than the contemporary ruins.