At the beginning of 2025 I began compiling a proposal to Arts Council England for funding from their DYCP (develop your creative practice) scheme. It was submitted in May and I was delighted to be granted the award in July to start my project in September 2025. This project will continue until August 2026 and is based around several areas in the UK which have influenced my love and appreciation for the natural world. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t fascinated by nature of all scales, from dramatic landscapes and skies to the way light illuminates a tiny seed head.
I have started my research in the town I was born and lived in for the first twenty years of my life - Weston super Mare and with a particular focus on the island of Steepholm in the Bristol Channel which is visible from almost everywhere in Weston. It’s shape is distinctive and in the lead up to my decision to apply for dycp funding, I kept seeing the shape of Steepholm in all sorts of unexpected places, like a sign giving me clues or reassurance I was doing the right thing.
I also wish to include Uffington White Horse Hill in my project as I had a pivotal experience whilst up there on a very clear sunny day. White Horse Hill is roughly a 40 minute drive from where I currently live so is easy to go to for an afternoon and is somewhere we (myself, my husband and our family) have become fond of. On this particular day around 18 months ago, I looked across towards the west and was convinced that way way off in the distance was a tiny shape on the horizon which resembled my Steepholm! I checked on my phone map to see if I was looking in the right direction and lo and behold, Steepholm’s position was directly in line with where I was looking. I was astonished but have tried looking on other occasions and have seen the same shape so, unlikely as it is, I remain fairly convinced it is indeed Steepholm I can see from White Horse Hill. This experience gave me a deep feeling of comfort and connection. I felt I was standing in a place where I could easily pivot between my childhood and my current life. It was as if I could reach both easily and see a clear path from childhood to adulthood - one continuous life. I’m not sure why this gives me so much comfort but I think the thread this project is following might reveal some interesting links and loops.
I am wondering what the landscape can tell us and I’m fascinated by the way it has been depicted by artists (of all genres) throughout history to describe metaphorically, aspects of the human condition. I’m also interested in the knowledge I have gained of the immediate landscape around me where we have lived for 18 years. I know the position the sun will rise and set at different times of the year, the changes in shadows cast in the house during each season and the character and tone of the light around equinox and solstice. I have a special interest in the knowledege gained and passed on by indigenous people in different countries and this was heightened after reading a book called ‘Wild’ by Jay Griffiths about 10 years ago. I want to delve into this aspect of our human connection with the natural world and lack thereof.
So, if you’d like to follow my project’s development please do subscribe to my newsletter via my website and I will try to keep you updated when I post something new…or you can follow me on my Facebook page or Instagram. I might even try to post on Substack! If you search Alison Berrett Artist on any of these you should find me.
Some of the work in the above photos features the dangers of Weston beach. This is something I think was always present in my experience and knowledge of the sea there. It is well known for having the second highest tidal range in the world and therefore the tide is often a long way from view and has given rise to the nickname Weston super Mud! I have memories of children being pulled from the mud and carried off the beach and the flares to attract the RNLI lifeboat were a regular sound. My relationship with the sea is mixed - it thrills me but I am not inclined to swim in it and most definitely avoid going anywhere near the soft sand and mud along the beaches. People ignore the signs and get into trouble especially during the summer - they think they can reach the sea. They can’t.