I come from a place where land meets the sea. The city of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil spreads itself between the waterfront and the mountains. Even though I no longer reside there, the images of its landscape were imprinted on my mind from an early age. Having travelled, moved and lived in different places throughout my life, time and again I have felt the landscape’s impact. It drew me in. It fascinated me; brought a sense of awe and belonging. At times, when revisiting a place I once called home the beauty of the local landscape gave me a sense of pride. I feel connected to the scenery, as if there is somehow a mutual understanding and acceptance. Whether in a new or familiar place, I find myself constantly looking, running over the land’s contours with my eyes.
Today, settled in Wales I can see the contrasts in relief, as well as the unexpected similarities compared to my home country. These interest me as I view them as points of intersection; as liminal spaces where certain elements of the landscape could belong to different places. Aberystwyth is where I witnessed such an intersection. As I climbed Constitution Hill and looked down on the the town’s coastline I was reminded of Rio de Janeiro’s shores. I couldn’t resist exploring the area and have been there many times, in my most recent expedition as a resident artist at Aberystwyth Art Centre. In this essay, I aim to narrate my journey during this period, relating the discoveries and reflections within my work, and creative process. To do this, I will look at three research methods.
Firstly, an auto-ethnographic approach which will help me describe the ethos of my practice, set against those of other practitioners such as Fayga Ostrower, Nao Matsunaga, Kyra Cane, John Berger, Ewen Henderson, Anne Whiston Spirn and Han Lörzing. I hope their voices will help me elucidate my own. Secondly, through Tim Ingold’s lens of anthropology, I will look at how we can better connect with the landscape around us – or not – and how such contact can inspire and trigger creative thoughts.
Lastly, the frame of Bachelard’s phenomenology will lend poetry to this journey, and the experience of engaging with materials that transform our creative energy into physical artworks. Throughout the essay, I aim to build parallels between these three methods, and how my art practice can, in turn, contribute to these areas by visualising concrete examples of what has so far been restricted to conceptual thinking.
When I first visited Aberystwyth, nearly six years ago, I was struck by the local landscape’s beauty. As I drove in, passing idyllic countryside, with lush green pastures and mountains in the background, I caught sight of the sea. Coming down the hill, passing Aberystwyth University’s Penglais Campus, the
