JONATHAN CHERRY: Give me a little more info about how the project came about?
MAX SEARL: The project was originally going to be about The Cober, the river that flows into The Loe. After seeing some of my favourite photographers such as Alec Soth and Jem Southam document from source to sea I first took interest in The Cober as it failed to be a river. Situated in Cornwall, close to the Lizard, The Cober never reaches the sea, due to large sand bank known as Loe Bar, blocking it from the English Channel.
However after starting the project, working became a problem, due to the location of the river, and the fact that it flowed through private property. I then changed my focus to The Loe, Cornwalls largest natural body of water and the mouth of The Cober. After reading about The Loe, it became clear that it was steeped in myth and legends, such as it is a suggest place for King Arthurs sword Excalibur, and that there are two World War Two fighter plans sitting on its the bed. However for me, the myth that encapsulated me the most was a local myth that The Loe takes a life every seven years, with multiple deaths since the late 18th Century, with the last recorded death in 2014. It became apparent that The Loe was covered in mysteries of death, and it is through the project that I connected the landscape to the myths through the scenes and objects I found on my visits.
JC: What benefits have you found in shooting with large format and why did you choose this medium?
MS: Whilst not all of the project was shot on large format, a good part of it was. For me, large format is very methodical, enabling me to take time to consider the composition, checking whether it will benefit the story, or add to the myths of The Loe. On whichever format I am using, I prefer to use a large, heavy camera, working on a tripod. Again this adds to the time element, slowing my process. Whilst I’m out making my project, I’m usually alone. When setting up the large format camera, it give me time to think about how the composition will interact with the others, and also gives me a chance to make connections between the scenes.
Moreover, using large format enables me to print big when it comes to exhibit the work. Throughout the project there is an underlying narrative of death, portrayed through many cultural references. When exhibiting the work I wanted to print it big, as to when the audience see the work, they are consumed by it, much like we all are when death comes to greet us.
JC: Tell is more about the (death) narrative and how your ideas have perhaps changed since the beginning of the project?
MS: Death surrounds The Loe. A lot of the myths encompass death to some degree, King Arthurs sword, the suggested site of death of King Arthur, the two World War Two fighter planes and of course the local tale of someone loosing their life at The Loe every seven years. All these myths use death as the main focus within their story, so it seemed fitting to relate the landscapes that I took to the theme of death. It is through the images, symbolically or metaphorically that I tried to portray death, using cultural themes. The image of the swirling water symbolising a drowning or the roots of a tree disappearing into the water, a symbolic gesture of death in Celtic culture was the act of passing through water.
My ideas progressed from the initial project on the River Cober to The Loe, in which it soon became apparent that the underlying theme would be death. Rather than changing of ideas the hardest part of the project has been grasping the idea of how to portray myths, alongside trying to depict death. I wrestled with the idea of using human form, however eventually went against the idea, due to not knowing how or where it would sit within the project.
My personally relationship with death has somewhat been altered through the project as well. With the passing of my Grandfather in 2016, I’ve come to believe that everyone has their time, whether they know it or not. I’ve come to accept it, it is the undisputed fact that we will all be greeted by death sooner or later, as there is nothing we can do about it.
JC: From past experience I have found that Cornwall has wonderful dawn light - did you end up shooting at certain times of the day or was it more a case of getting out as and when you could?
MS: It is true that Cornwall has great light, especially at dawn and dusk. In all truth I was controlled by the bus timetable, forcing me to return home mid to late afternoon. However on one late winter Saturday, just as I was heading back to the bus stop, I noted that there was amazing dappled yellow light falling through the trees. It was at this point that I started to target specific times to go a shoot.
JC: You mentioned that Alec Soth inspired you to make this work - what other practitioners have inspired you?
MS: In terms of photography, I’m inspired by a lot of landscape and time based photographers. Other than Alec Soth, some include Jem Southam, Mitch Epstein and Andreas Gursky. I respect the grandeur of their projects, in terms of time. For me, a downside of being at university is having to produce multiple projects within a four month period, which can often make a project feel stunted. Mitch Epstein and especially Jem Southam allow their projects to span years, almost decades. The time element gives an ora, and as I progress as a photographer, longer projects are something that I am looking to create. Other photographers include Alex Catt and friend Harry Lawlor. Alex’s book ‘Lost, in circles we wander’ published in Tide Press is an amazing body of work, crossing personal narratives with beautiful landscapes. Harry is a good friend and its great to cross idea’s and its important to be encompassed by a small group of friend photographers.
Outside of photography I’m inspired a lot by the music I listen to. Both Ben Howard and A Blaze of Feather provide inspiration due to their cryptic and emotional music, mixed with heartfelt lyrics. Poetry and the written work can also be a great place to start, or develop a project.
JC: Do you plan to continue to make work in Cornwall now that your time at University has come to an end? Have you got any ideas or projects lined up?
MS: I have another year in Cornwall as I finish the last year on my degree. At the moment Cornwall is my home, and I will most likely stay here after my degree, for how long I’m not sure. I’ve been able to make not only personal work, but also managed to get paid work, so I will be looking to increase that as my degree come to its end. The lifestyle and the county suit me, and at the moment, I can’t see myself living elsewhere, however at some point I would like to live abroad.
No projects set in stone at the moment, however I have a few loose idea’s revolving around the moon, colour blindness and the landscape of Cornwall. I will continue on Old Peace, as their are a couple of avenues I wish to explore which I haven’t had time to delve into yet.
JC: Going back to your last answer about long term projects - why do you think practitioners like Alec Soth and Jen Southam do so well when working on long term projects and what is it that attracts you to working long term?
MS: I believe their success with long projects comes with patience and the willingness to move slowly. Both artists worked in the pre-digital era, are have continued to work in the digital era. I think their success lies in the thought process, taking time to think and forming the projects before the work is shared online is something uncommon today. Often images are shared before a project is complete, and for me it ruins the splendidness of seeing the project as a whole, as I’ve already seen images online.
Moreover, I have been interested in publishing books almost as long as I’ve been interested in photography. A long term project lends itself to a book, and I feel that publishing a book would be an eventual goal of mine. I personally like taking time to sit and take in an image. You have more chance to take in the detail and no pressure to scroll down the image below.
What attracts me to working on long term projects is the entire process of making the body of work. Shooting to the editing process is an enjoyable journey for me. Another point is that my idea generation for projects isn’t amazing, nor is it very regular. It can take me a while to come up with ideas. However when I fall upon an idea I like, I can spend a long time planning and making sure that I complete it.
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