Ellie Davies: Into the Woods
5 October – 17 November 2012
The Richard Young Gallery invites you into the realms of naturalism and fairytale with an intriguing solo exhibition by award-winning English photographer, Ellie Davies. Into the Woods will showcase a selection from each of the five series Davies has produced from 2010 – 2012 including and introducing her most recent, unseen body of work, The Dwellings.
With this collection of 24 photographs Ellie Davies captures the mystery and intrigue of ancient forests by creating minimally disruptive woodland installations that transform the natural into the fanciful. These carefully constructed environments offer the viewer a nostalgic possibility of discovering something magical amidst the trees and shadows.
Davies works mostly alone in the woodland to become fully attuned and engulfed by the atmosphere of each individual setting. She performs small acts of engagement by painstakingly crafting and arranging her chosen materials within the natural world and then documenting her intervention with photography.
Painted leaves are positioned into paths enticing the viewer to delve deeper into the forest; golden trees reveal themselves within heavily saturated green and brown environments; strands of wool ephemerally create beguiling trails that jump from tree to tree; ovals of bright light hover within the panorama of the darkened forest floor; and dwellings created from fallen branches are stumbled upon – unsure of whether they were created by man or animal.
Ellie Davies comments:
‘My work grows out of my sense of the woodland I am in. There is often a slight tension, an eeriness, but also great beauty in the shadows beneath the trees, and my images are an evocation of these feelings. I wanted my compositions to capture a sense of my place within the woodland and my response to it, but also a feeling of enchantment – like a chance discovery in a fairytale.’
Ellie Davies is available for interview.
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