For my last
project of the university, I had the opportunity to photograph my family’s land on
the West Coast of Scotland, that is about a 10-hour drive away from Bath. And
so right there was a major hurdle of the project as I was only able to visit
the land three times during the 12 weeks. I set myself three aims that I wanted
to achieve through this project.

The first
being able to work on film, as previous attempts using a film camera have been
quite disastrous for me and so I decided to work on medium format colour film
and overall, I am so glad that I did as I feel I have gained a new skill, feel
confident to use film again and I am so happy with the result as when I used my
digital briefly in Scotland, I felt that the images fell flat but with film,
the colours came out so well and really created a far better atmosphere.

The next aim
was to make a book, for previous projects my work didn’t fit into a book format
but starting this project I knew that it would definitely work and I had been
previously disappointed that when my peers had made books and had a physical artifact that they could be really proud of and I wanted to create my own. It
would allow me to learn a new skill with book design and bookbinding that
would be a useful skill to learn as well as when I have the book I will be able
to show potential clients in the future.

My final aim was far more personal as I wanted to use the project as a
dedication to my father who’s been such a big support to my time at university,
and who would be a massive help for this project as well. I hope that when the
project is officially over, I will be able to present my dad with the book and
give him the prints from the degree show to hang on the walls in Scotland as
well.

Overall, I feel
I’ve achieved all my goals quite well, and I am incredibly proud of the work I
have created. It also made me realise how much I love Scotland and how much I
want to continue this work over the whole of Scotland. Travelling the land and
documenting it through photography is a dream of mine, and I can’t wait for the
opportunity to do this.

This is the work that I will be presenting at the degree show at the start of June
at university and the London show at the end of June. Again, my priority has
been on the presentation of the book so that will be a big element of my
display but I hope to have a few large prints on the wall as well. I have
included my artist statement below that I hope encompasses the whole project:

Keillmore
is a 600-acre nature reserve on the West coast of Scotland. Through time,
intense weather conditions and with control of different generations, this land
tells its story through the movement of the hills and the contours of the
rocks.

This work becomes a journey through this secluded land, an
immersive retelling of its stories and a glimpse of its beauty. Echoes of the
crashing seas against jagged rocks and the birds in the sky, drown out the rest
of the world. All that is left is the ancient hills of Keillmore.

ROBYN COUCHER

ROBYN COUCHER

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