JIM SOUPER, ARPS ISLAND STONES

from RPS Landscape Special Interest Group Magazine, Spring 2020

A Journey to Minimalism by Aaron Dickson

Jim Souper’s exploration of the islands began just over three years ago. It has focused as much upon the archaeology of the islands as upon their wild beauty and sense of place.

The Outer Hebrides have long offered inspiration to landscape photographers. Images of Harris and Lewis - their beaches in particular - regularly feature in photography magazines and on our own Facebook page. Opportunities to explore the islands with professionally-run photography tours and workshops abound.

My own exploration of the islands began just over three years ago. It has focused as much upon the archaeology of the islands as upon their wild beauty. It is the development of Island Stones, my interpretation in photographs of the archaeology and landscape history of the Outer Hebrides, which is the subject of this article.

The first part of the project began with a summer school in August 2016 and ended with an exhibition the following February. The five-day Art and Archaeology Summer School was run by the University of the Highlands and Islands at Lochmaddy on North Uist. This offered the opportunity to visit a range of archaeological sites across the Uists and to learn about the recording and documenting of material in the field. Prior to the summer school I was unaware of just how many archaeological remains are to be found on the islands. This short introduction inspired me to navigate the remaining ten days of my trip by some of the more significant sites.

Calanais Dusk, Lewis, August 2016

Clach Steineagaidh, Harris, May 2018

The majority of the images made during this first trip were of the more imposing Neolithic standing stones or stone circles; they were both easier to find and more obviously photogenic. Generally, my approach was to frame images so that the stones dominated, to include only the signs of ancient settlement. I sought to convey something of the mystery and mythology of the landscape.

While I made as many images as possible during the golden hours of dawn and dusk, limited time on the islands meant that I was making images throughout the day, in all weathers. Given these variations in light, I felt the use of black and white would give more equal weight to each image when viewed as a series. Furthermore, the textures and tones in the stones also seemed to lend themselves to the medium.

“The masterclass, tutored by Eddie Ephraums and Adrian Hollister, proved invaluable.”

I began to process the images from this first trip while attending a Black and White Masterclass at Open Studio Workshops at Mellon Charles in northwest Scotland. The masterclass, tutored by Eddie Ephraums and Adrian Hollister, proved invaluable. In addition to learning a great deal about black and white processing and printing, I was able to make the first half dozen test prints and print files for the exhibition. I left Mellon Charles with a clear vision of how I would make my final exhibition prints, right down to the choice of paper.

The exhibition, shared with a group of photographers I had met on an earlier workshop at Mellon Charles, was entitled Journeys. It was held in February 2017 at the Horsebridge Centre in Whitstable. The selection of four or five images to work on at Mellon Charles had been relatively straightforward. The greater challenge was to choose and sequence those which would complete the series to exhibit.

Most of the single standing stones I had photographed were composed to show a view toward the sea. While they worked as single images, as a set they lacked impact. This led me to consider images that differed from my main intent, in that they included obvious signs of man’s recent impact on the landscape. These included a view of the standing stone at Breibhig (on Barra) which included a relatively recent stone hut and another of the Iron Age remains at Cleitreabhal Deas with modern communication masts in the background.

Both strengthened the overall sequencing of the images and, much to my surprise, were remarked upon as being the more interesting and compelling.

Cleitreabhal a Deas, North Uist, August 2016

The feedback and critique I received, from both the masterclass and the exhibition, caused me to review my approach to the project. I became fascinated by the many different layers of history to be found in the landscape. Throughout the islands ancient Neolithic, Iron Age and Bronze Age remains lie beside the marks left on the landscape by more recent history. I have used my two subsequent visits, in May 2018 and in March 2019, to make a number of images that illustrate this.

I have often sought to juxtapose the Neolithic with the modern. Compare the image I made at Cnoc Ceann a’ Ghàrraidh in 2018, with dilapidated buildings in the background, with the one I made on my first visit, for example (see page 25). Elsewhere, many stones and stone circles now lie within the boundaries of working crofts and I have sought to embrace this in the composition of my photographs. The most extreme juxtaposition of the ancient and modern that I have found is the standing stone at Stonefield which stands, on its original site, adjacent to a 1960s housing development in Breasclete.

Other images reflect the more recent history of the Outer Hebrides. The Bridge to Nowhere was built around 1921, as part of Lord Leverhulme’s grand plan to build a new road north from Tolsta to Sgiogarstaigh, on the east coast of Lewis; the road was never built. The graffiti belongs to the present century and may be familiar to those who have travelled the motorways of north-west England.

Stonefield Standing Stone, Lewis, March 2019

After three visits to the Outer Hebrides, what next? Are further visits to the Hebrides needed to complete the project? There are still sites I should like to find and others where I feel I can make a better image. I am also keen to study the history of the islands in greater depth. I am acutely aware that the research I have done so far has only scratched the surface of a complex story.

Aside from the images shown here, I have yet to show work from my last two trips. I should like to exhibit a more complete set of images from the series, possibly on the Hebrides. I also plan to make a self-published book. Whether or not I am successful in either venture, I shall be visiting the Outer Hebrides for some time to come.