Artist Statement by Ken Scott
... it is in vain that we say what we see ... And it is in vain that we attempt to show by the use of images ... what we are saying ...
- Michel Foucault
I make this statement with a feeling of slight unease. I wonder whether I should write anything at all about my photographs; a successful image should be quite capable of speaking for itself.
My definition of the landscape is a visual one: the interaction between land and light. There is synergy and tension, anticipation and surprise. Light, as a subject, is self-evident. The landscape is constantly moving, never static. By involving ourselves totally in the landscape, by tuning in fully to its nuances, we can come to understand and be more aware of what is happening at any moment. We can learn how to predict and to make our own luck. Then we can be in the right place at the right time, responding intuitively at the right pace, going with the flow ... I am always aware that the harder I look, the less I see.
My own way is to camp high, away from the artificiality of everyday life, immersed in silence, space and light, especially in those magic hours at the beginning and end of each day. When light and clouds are dancing on the high ridges; when shafts of sunlight illuminate the ground far below; when fleeting glimpses appear through drifting mists; when the air is still and I can feel the slightest movement against my skin; these times are as exciting as any experiences I could have, and are enough in themselves. The mountain experience, not photography, is my passion.
Almost all of the images were made as a response to an immediate experience of the landscape, very much in the moment. When I make an image, I rarely have a pre-determined aim or message. It is only over time that my photographs have assumed an identity through the memories and feelings they evoke for me. You, however, are in a privileged position. You can witness every situation with your own eyes. You must respond in your own way. If you are inspired, go out tomorrow and immerse yourself in your own passions.
... Ken Scott
West Sussex, England
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