Page 17 - ALG Issue 2 20202

artists corner Robin Stewart
Robin is a photographer with a particular interest in landscape, still life and food. Currently studying towards a BA (Hons) in photography with the Open College of the Arts, Robin works with both film and digital, but increasingly with film for the greater involvement and connection it provides.
The series ‘Transitions’ explores the way the landscape changes over time, from a fixed viewpoint. These allotments in Oakham, Rutland, provide “continued evidence of human interaction, subtle, yet tangible”.
These images offer a “wealth
of interesting detail... traces of change and little pointers to human presence: new stakes, the smoke of a bonfire etc... and the variations show the progress of the seasons and the all-weather aspect of allotment ownership”.
There is also an aesthetic approach
to allotment gardening, not purely utilitarian. Plots and sheds may be decorated and contain additional artefacts and signs. Flowers, as well as vegetables, may be grown for their sight and scent as well as for the bees. Each summer the allotments hold a barbeque that brings allotment holders together in a spirit of unity and camaraderie.
Quotes are from Dr Derek Trillo, Robin’s course tutor.
Flowers, as well as vegetables, may be grown for their sight and scent as well as for the bees
Allotment and Leisure Gardener 17