Journey to work

Collection

Artist: Dominic Pote
Location: Speech Therapy, Laser Clinic & Medical Photography depts, Level 3, Phase II building

The theme ‘Journey to Work’ was chosen as a starting point for this commission because it was something common to all staff. Dominic worked with hospital staff who told him about their journeys, and in particular favourite views or landscapes, which they encountered on their way to work. Over a period of three months he returned to these specific locations and attempted to capture on film the essence of these landscapes as well as the notion of the journey. The six pieces represent not only different journeys into Salisbury, but also the main variations of the Wiltshire landscape: woodland, agricultural land, the plains and river scenes.

Dominic said, “Since movement is intrinsic to my work, the theme of the journey seemed very appropriate. I wanted to capture the feeling of passing through the landscape whilst also retaining some details, mimicking the way in which we experience travelling, perceiving colours and blurred forms whilst also picking out details form the flow of our journey. The bridge in ‘Little Durnford’ for example, is captured as if a glimpse through the trees, a frozen moment stolen form the flow of time. When a moment is seized by our memory it is prolonged and preserved as if removed from the flow of time. In the same way, I want my photographs to show both this flow of time and the static moments and thereby reinforce the notion of travelling through the landscape.”

Dominic’s panoramic images are generated using a custom-adapted film camera. He moves the camera gently through the landscape in a single extended shot. The landscape is recorded on film as the camera scrolls the horizon. He does not, however, use any manipulation in this process: everything is captured on film in one single exposure and on one piece of film.

The six photographs can be found on Level 3 of the new build. Accompanying the images in the Speech and Language Therapy department are short poems written by patients during workshops with poet-in-residence Rose Flint.

This commission was funded by Arts Council England, South West.

Audio description of Journey to work artworks