The project documents the ancient woodland and natural habitats set to be lost by the construction of the Havant Thicket Reservoir. Voices of individuals anxious about the wider impacts on the local ecology and community are recorded along with their portraits. Further audio recordings; from the crickets of the grassland, the reverb of the avenue of ancient oaks, to the trickle of the waterways that run through the marsh, bring the people, landscape, and wildlife together creating a field of thought that settles across the diverse landscape of the Havant Thicket.

The photographs were taken on medium format film, developed using seaweed collected locally and fixed with saltwater, demonstrating alternative ways of working using non-toxic, environmentally conscious, and sustainable approaches. The resulting images explore the aesthetics of imperfection, human nature and allow space for imagination.

By giving a voice to the local people that use the space rather than the developers and council leaders that make the decisions, the project allows a more democratic and truthful response to the proposed development. Although a political issue, the work steers the conversation to the emotional and spiritual elements to allow for deeper engagement and reflection whilst exploring the artist’s role in fighting the destruction of natural habitats.

The name of each image relates to the exact location using What3words.