The inspiration for this project is my current location. I've recently moved back to my roots, and these roots incidentally sit precariously on the edge of the East Yorkshire coast.  A coastline subject to regular coastal erosion. Growing up along this coast meant I developed a strong connection with the land, sea and sky.

 

Returning to this area gives me a unique opportunity to study the coast. Across from where I live, approximately 200 metres away, is the North Sea. In between the cliff and where I live is a field. This field also referred to as Northfield or Sea field, known to us as Cliff top field, has belonged to my family since 1966 and so holds a personal connection as well as childhood memories. The family have seen a slow but considerable loss of land since 1966. My aim is to visit, observe and document this familiar yet ever changing landscape over the coming months. I hope to document regularly and as accurately as possible, weather and access permitting, through digital photography, mixed media and this website. To allow the documentation to influence what the outcome will be, in effect be as fluid in my artwork as the changing landscape.

 

With regard to the digital photography, I will try and refrain from enhancing (!) so the images you see will be as they were taken. This will be a challenge for me as generally there is usually some element of image processing/enhancement once the file is on the computer. However if I am to tell this story of how it is, then I think I also need to resist tweeking the photographic documentation.

 

To begin the documentation five fixed point markers have been set out along the cliff top overlooking the North Sea. These markers (fenceposts) have been adapted to enable a camera to be fixed to the top. The markers are set some distance from the cliff edge in the hope that they will not go over before the end of the project. As erosion is difficult to predict, some years we can lose much more land than in other years, we shall see if the markers are too near or perhaps not near enough to record change as time progresses.

 

This is my starting point and the tools I will use;

 

Digital photography using a Canon 5D mark I

Forklift, circular fenceposts, string, screws, drill, grinder, manual post knocker, hammer and wheel barrow

Audio

The Internet, online diary, image documentation

String

Graph paper

Ordnance survey maps

 

Fiona Caley project start Autumn 2010

Stage 1 conclusion July 2011

 

September 2011. With the documentation gathered further project work may be explored to develop the mixed media work/portfolio.  

March 2015. The horizon is changing in an unforeseen way, wind turbines are currently being contructed off the Holderness coast. Link: