Fay Godwin’s name came up in our last Landscape hangout so when I spotted a couple of books in the uni library I snapped them up. One was ‘Land’, (1985) the one mentioned in the hangout, with an essay by John Fowles and an introduction by Ian Jeffrey. The other, ‘The Secret Forest of Dean’, (1986) with an introduction by Edna Healey was of particular interest to me as the Forest is literally on my doorstep. From the start, my thinking for my remaining photographic assignments has been something to do with the Forest for assignment 3 and something to do with the Gloucester to Sharpness canal for assignment 5, 4 being a critical review, though of what, I have no idea at this stage. This little book by Fay Godwin could prove to be a really valuable resource should I go along my intended route for assignment 3.
Fay Godwin’s photographs, many of which are accompanied by a poem or some text introducing the subject, are of the Forest of Dean in the 1970’s and 80’s. They are not idyllic scenes, rather they are about the heart and soul of the Forest; Jim Hoar, sheep badger, Wilfred Brain’s small holding near Littledean, sheep on the Forest Vale estate, foundations of an old coal bridge. It ties in very nicely with the idea of spaces and places but it would also allow me to explore the current reality compared with the nostalgic past, or the picturesque that I am currently studying. How much of this still exists? I would be surprised if any of the old Foresters featured in this book are still around. Edna Healey’s introduction is reminiscent of her childhood growing up in the Forest, attending Bells grammar school, now a hotel and country club where, incidentally I play golf. She starts by saying that she was sceptical about Fay Godwin’s ability to catch the spirit of the Forest but to her delight, Godwin surpassed her wildest hopes. It is a little gem of a book, I’m not a Forester and even I can see that. So whether I use it as reference for assignment 3 or not I will certainly come back to it again and again.
‘Land’, which begins with an essay by John Fowles followed by an introduction by Ian Jeffrey, comprises a collection of photographs taken throughout the United Kingdom over a 10 year period. 127 black and white photographs from the Outer Hebrides to Kent, from Belfast to Wiltshire, from North Wales to the Peak District. Some, I would describe as picturesque whilst others seem quite bleak but the things they all have in common are incredible light, brilliant composition and a sense of natural beauty and honesty.
In his introduction, Ian Jeffrey contrasts the emphasis and grandeur of the natural elements as opposed to those man-made, ‘Nature is wild, and even belligerent; and human making, which tends towards the fastidious, looks small and frail by comparison’ and he is right; Fay Godwin has managed to present the natural elements of the landscape in a more imposing way than the barns, houses, chicken sheds and the like. When I first browsed through this book and before I read the introduction, I wondered at the order and presentation of some of the photographs. Taken across the UK but not in the order I might have expected, for example by region. Instead, she has matched or contrasted shapes, tones and geographical features. Jeffrey likens this to the work of Edward Weston, (Jeffrey, 1984:xxiv) so for example, ‘Fenced huts near Durness’ is paired with ‘Holed rock, St Agnes, Isles of Scilly’ so the size and power of the huge gaping rocks, dwarf the chicken huts behind the fence on the opposite page. 
Whilst the shape of the ‘Fenced dunes, Camber, Kent’, is similar to and complements ‘Birchwoods, Sutherland’. 
So in studying the work of Fay Godwin, you don’t just get a lesson in landscape photography and observation, you also get a lesson in presenting work together in an artists book, or for that matter in a gallery.
John Fowles essay at the start of ‘Land’ is quirky. He spends the first few pages telling us what should disqualify him from writing any sort of introduction to a book like this. He dislikes photography per se and loathes the tourists, snapping away like ‘piranha fish‘. Given that this was written in 1984, I wonder what his views would be about the selfie brigade of today! He knows nothing of photographic techniques, not does he want to. He is particularly doubtful about landscape photography and claims not even to really like landscape at all, at least not the generally accepted wide views and he even describes the long walks that Fay Godwin so enjoyed as being boring. (Fowles, 1984:x)
Fowles main complaint about landscape photography and indeed the countryside is more to do with how it is generally presented rather than the land itself. Photography shows a moment in time whereas he wants to explore, experience and savour the land and rather than wide expanses we see in most photographs, Fowles’ interest lies in the natural history of much smaller areas, the flowers for instance which he says he used to enjoy photographing.However, ‘now’, he says, ‘he prefers to remember them in a much vaguer, and yet strangely more current way than if he had a photograph before him (Fowles, 1984) Going on to explain that in his view, the photograph dates and ‘makes past’ and he likens this to how well ‘a formal wedding photograph, gives the whole truth about a marriage’. (Fowles, 1984:xi) This is his objection too about the ‘piranha-fish’ tourist photographers, ‘they so often photograph in order not to have to look; as if having recorded for the future that they were there is more important than the being there’ I can appreciate that sentiment to some extent because I know that if I go out specifically to take photographs I am usually looking something in particular whereas if I go without my camera, I go with a more open mind and actually see much more. There is a lesson in there somewhere!
John Fowles explains that these prejudices of his are due to the fact that he is attracted to and interested in ‘serious photography’, which he says he discovered when he collaborated with Fay Godwin on an earlier book, Islands. He acknowledges that although he saw the islands in question differently from Godwin’s presentation of them which he describes as ‘austere purity’ and ‘fierce concentration on elemental aspects’, they ‘made me think again and respect her very different vision of them’ (Fowles, 1984:xi) In the following pages, Fowles talks of how Fay Godwin’s work had developed since that first book they collaborated on, not just artistically but morally too. She knew and loved the land, trekked over its roads, knew its problems and challenges, which according to Fowles is at the core of what makes her work so successful and different from other landscape photographers. Much of the remaining essay is about John Fowles view of the landscape and art and how Fay Godwin manages to buck the trend and produce honest photographs that portray the landscape as it is, warts, or at least telegraph wires, and all. He puts this down to a number of things. Her father was a diplomat and she was mainly brought up abroad, so she saw the British landscape through fresh eyes when she started taking photographs. She is self-taught, so not hampered by the rules and teaching of an art college education, she is not interested in the theory or the history and calls her work ‘documentary realism’ as opposed to art. John Fowles would prefer to call it ‘creative honesty’ (Fowles, 1984:xv) and I find myself wondering if we, OCA students, really need to undertake a degree to make us better photographers. Without a doubt Kay Godwin had a natural talent which most of us don’t have but I know that personally, I wouldn’t be taking the photographs I take now, had I not signed up for my first OCA photography course.
In this interview with Mavis Nicholson made for the Channel 4 programme, In with Mavis, in 1991, Fay Godwin describes herself as a photographer first and an artist second although undoubtedly it is her creativity, appreciation of light and composition and her passion for the environment that makes her photographs so successful.
This passion also comes across when she revisits the locations of some of her earlier photographs, the site of the emerging Channel Tunnel for example, Whilst she acknowledges that the Channel Tunnel was inevitable she is incensed by the totally unnecessary dual carriageway that runs alongside it. Godwin talks about the fact that her best work is made when she is on her own but she also acknowledges that she is terrified visiting some of the remote places she visits to photograph as a woman by herself. I found this quite interesting but also reassuring. The difference between Godwin and myself though is that she visited these places regardless whereas my natural caution kicks in and prevents me from taking what I would consider to be unnecessary risks. I’m sure there is another message in there somewhere.
Sources:
- Godwin, F. (1986) The Secret Forest of Dean. Bristol: Redcliffe press and Arnolfini Gallery in collaboration with the Forestry Commission.
- Godwin, F. (1985) Land. Totonto: Little Brown & Co.
- Fowles, J. (1984) ‘Essay by John Fowles’ In: Land. (s.l.): Little Brown & Co. pp.ix–xx.
- Jeffrey, I. (1984) ‘Introduction’ In: Land. (s.l.): Little Brown & Co. pp.xxiii–xxix.
- Fay Godwin – The Lie of the Land. (s.d.) Directed by xstuporman At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqwOpkOkuzE [Accessed on 8 December 2018]
- Parkin, T. (2011) ‘Fay Godwin: Master Photographer’ January 2011 [online] At: https://www.onlandscape.co.uk/2011/01/master-photographer-fay-godwin/ [Accessed 6 December 2018]
Anne's Landscape Learning Log 