Category: Photographer Research

I have researched Thomas Merton because of his methodology in photography and his unique way of seeing and understanding the world. This piece of research has helped me understand the key principles behind contemplative, mindful creative practice and how it can be inter disciplined, combining writing, art and physical activity such as walking. He was a Trappist monk, based at Gethsemani in Kentucky and discovered photography in the last decade of his life, on the back of his prolific production of books (50 in 27 years) He paradoxically, perhaps, took up photography as a way to satisfy his need for simplicity and stillness.

Because he would have taken a vow of stability, he would have been limited to contemplate subjects in the hermitage and the immediate vicinity, his search for photographs was part of a highly developed visual awareness that revealed itself when in an intense contemplative state of mind. It is perhaps unsurprising that photography became a tool with which to study his world in fine detail.

He continued his journaling and writing alongside his photographic practice which means that there is a wealth of insight into his thoughts and wonderings directly related to this. I find this useful because where I have read plenty from nature writers, they are not typically engaged in a related pursuit. For example, in one journal entry, he details that instead of reading a Zen anthology, he was too distracted by his ‘dream camera’ as he kept seeing curious things to shoot instead. he said ‘the whole place is full of fantastic and strange subjects – a mine of zen photography‘ (Hamrick, 2020: online) further to this in another entry, he says “Marvelous, silent, vast spaces around the old buildings…Cold, pure light, and some grand trees…. How the blank side of a frame house can be so completely beautiful I cannot imagine” (Hamrick, 2010) so we can garner from these words just how invested he was in paying close attention to his surroundings.

Paul Pearson is the director of the Thomas Merton centre at Bellarmine University in Kentucky. He has edited a book ‘Beholding Paradise, The Photography of Thomas Merton’ (Pearson, 2020) In this he discusses how Merton is ‘inseeing‘ which is a concept by Rilke, inspired by Rodin and interpreted by Merton as ‘an inner event in the person who sees it, and it takes place in this encounter with something else, not just a subjective thing…our own existence is revealed to us, along with the meaning of our own life’ (p133) It seems to me that this description epitomises the act of mindful, contemplative thinking. Mertons words summarise this a ‘Visio Divinia’ meaning seeing, rather than just looking so that the essence of the thing is revealed to the viewer.

For anyone seeking to absorb themselves in the simplicity of things, the book provides a fascinating insight into a man who as well as being a master at contemplation and mindful practice, had plenty of humour, liked a beer or two and mused and wondered about the marvel of life. Many of his poems and essays are thought provoking, although obviously plenty of reference to a God that I don’t believe in does sometimes detract from the enjoyment for me, so I do read his work through a slightly different lens to the one he may have intended.

NB all images displayed are for analysis under the terms of fair use and belong to Merton Legacy Trust

Iain Sarjeant’s project ‘The Pool’ centres around a small pond in his garden. The body of work he produced from this, are a series of close, detailed shots of selected elements of the pool. I think he successfully presents his subject beyond the ordinary by giving time and patience to his process.

The resulting photographs are like a labyrinth of flora, with a mix of sharply detailed leaves & branches, sometimes shown in shadow or as reflections, some elements are very blurry within the frame as his shallow depth of field emphasises his close proximity to his subjects. You feel he has nestled himself in to his environment, which creates a sense of immersion and a meditative aspect to the work. He says himself that ‘By singling out and focusing on individual elements, these complex and competing patterns are simplified and a sense of depth created‘ (https://iain-sarjeant.format.com/the-pool) which is a useful quote to think about when making my own work.

I recall the work of Nicholas Hughes and Susan Derges, both of whom I researched for 7803. I was immediately drawn to the ambiguity in their work. Both very different; Hughes photographs beautiful scenes of trees, undergrowth and foliage, then overlays the image with a nightsky for example. Derges makes photograms by submerging photosensitive paper in her local river at night, releasing a flash, resulting in a photograph of the ‘underneath’ ie just below the surface of the water. I see similarities between all three in these photographs by Sarjeant. I think it is the way that the light on the surface picks up the ripples in the water and the patterns made by the leaves and grasses seem to resemble Hughes’ work. It is difficult to know which way is up, which makes them ambiguous. I like this work a lot, it is an aesthetic and working method (contemplative, repeated study of a place) that resonates.