I am a landscape photographer in the broadest sense of the word. I have a great interest in the work of New Topographics photographers and feel that they have influenced the style of my work a lot.
With my work I would like to change people’s perception of things, if my work makes people think about or see something in a new way then I am happy.
An ongoing project of mine is the simulacrum … the simulation of nature and the marketing of nature.
I became more and more interested in how people alter nature to make it appear natural… a simulated natural landscape… the simulacrum. I began to realise that there isn’t really any such thing as nature anymore.
Concentrating on the Garden Industry allowed me to explore the idea of the simulacrum. Places that are temporary landscapes in there own right. Continuously changing with the seasons and selling their ‘products’, only a few core elements remaining constant, such as the polytunnels, even these are easily moved and changed.
The idea of selling nature was a major interest too. Essentially these environments are designed to keep plants alive long enough to be sold. The fact that these natural elements were marketed. For example an advertisement for pebbles for your garden being nailed to a tree, the advertisement itself having the pebbles glued onto it. And that you could pick up a basket or trolley, just like being at the supermarket but fill it with ‘nature’, and pay for the privilege.
More recently I have taken photographs of the Eden Project in Cornwall, a simulated nature in the most modern sense of the word. My photographs show an optimistic landscape, instead of making people feel guilty about what we have done to the landscape as most contemporary landscape photography does. I hope that my photographs make people smile at the absurdity of some of the things that we do to create our own part of Eden. Perhaps even raise a smile.
I hope that my style will continue to develop and that I will be able to travel to experience different cultures and their landscapes. I would like to continue to work with the idea of the simulacrum but perhaps take it in a different direction as well as progressing with the work on Garden Centres. I would hope also to start new projects which will run in conjunction with my work at present. I have several sketchbooks of ideas I have yet to pursue.
Resume
Name – Celena Beech Born – Shropshire, UK Date of Birth – 10/04/1979
I studied BA (Hons) Photographic Communication at Falmouth College of Arts where I graduated with a 2:1 in 2001. I then went on to study for my Post-Graduate Certificate in Education.
I have received two Awards for Photography. The Melgrays Award for Photography in 1998 and then in 2005 I was awarded a Bursary to attend Rhubarb-Rhubarb Photography Festival.
My work is represented by Alamy Images.
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