Unseen: Exhibition and talk by Rachel Poulton

Unseen is a photographic project by artist Rachel Poulton, centred on a search for the sublime and the spirit of place. The work examines the invisible within both inner and outer landscapes, developed through a series of walks undertaken on key dates in nature’s calendar. Rooted in Romanticism and informed by psychogeographical and hauntological ideas, the project explores sites of spiritual, historical and archaeological significance, reflecting Poulton’s attempts to capture the atmosphere and essence of these locations. Her interests in myth, lore and the occult also shape the work, guiding her towards places steeped in stories.

‘For this iteration of Unseen, I mark the festivals of the Druid eightfold year with a wander in eight different ancient sites. Walking on the key dates of nature’s calendar, I experience a sublime temporal and psychic shift. As I roll with the seasons, time stretches and slows; each natural change holds me in the moment and life is longer. I pay heed to the unexpected and familiar. Elemental transfiguration is on repeat: the air cools, warms and cools again; waters rise, fall and rise again; colours are bright and radiant, dark and muted, then bright and radiant again. This gentle, perpetual flow, brings me back to nature and I cherish its mellow pace. This is life directly lived, away from the spectacle. Through intuitive walking and automatic photography I map my journey, connecting with the true nature of the land.’

Rachel is a writer, photographer and educator whose interests lie with our connections to the past and place. Her work examines philosophy, inner and outer landscapes, myth and reality, the past, the present and the borderlands between.