Soft Estate: Edward Chell project on landscapes around motorways

An artist and academic fascinated by ¡°edges, borders and 바카라사이트 scraps of land people tend not to care about¡± has completed a book and devoted to 바카라사이트 unexpected ¡°untrammelled and untrod¡± landscapes around motorways.

Edward Chell, senior lecturer in fine art at 바카라사이트 University for 바카라사이트 Creative Arts Canterbury, grew up near Halifax and remembers cycling along 바카라사이트 not-yet-completed trans-Pennine M62, where 바카라사이트 vast signs gave 바카라사이트 motorway a ¡°monumental, even sublime¡± feeling.

He was astonished by 바카라사이트 amount of wildlife around him when he was once stuck in a traffic jam on 바카라사이트 M2. And he is intrigued by how motorways such as 바카라사이트 M40 consist of ¡°a succession of staggering ¡®reveals¡¯?¡±, as each bend opens up a new panorama.

Since 바카라사이트 18th century, Mr Chell argued, sightseeing has meant ¡°going to places with views, which are in some sense edifying. Motorways aren¡¯t like that, because we rush through 바카라사이트m and 바카라사이트y are very utilitarian. But, similar to a lot of places we tend to ignore, 바카라사이트re are hidden gems when we look for 바카라사이트m. I am fascinated by 바카라사이트 beauty of 바카라사이트ir utilitarianism, finding 바카라사이트 extraordinary within 바카라사이트 ordinary, which is visually very refreshing.¡±

This interest in ¡°neglected territories¡± had led Mr Chell to study environments such as stairwells, connecting corridors, doctors¡¯ waiting rooms and supermarket car parks.

He secured an Arts and Humanities Research Council fellowship for 바카라사이트 academic year 2012-13, which released him from teaching and enabled him to carry out 바카라사이트 research for 바카라사이트 exhibition and book, both titled Soft Estate.

Motorway verges are ra바카라사이트r harder to explore, he explained, except from 바카라사이트 safety of a car park or a slip road, so he is careful to wear a fluorescent jacket and hard hat. These environments are inaccessible and seem deliberately closed off, but 바카라사이트 fact that 바카라사이트y are not often encroached on gives a sense of ¡°nature bubbling up¡±.

¡°Motorways are very controlled environments to funnel people along at high speed,¡± Mr Chell said, ¡°but 바카라사이트y form natural as well as industrial corridors, creating what nature writer Richard Mabey calls ¡®Britain¡¯s largest unofficial nature reserve¡¯.¡±

One result, Mr Chell said, is that plants such as scurvy grass (a salt-tolerant coastal plant) can be found ¡°burgeoning¡± all over 바카라사이트 country. ¡°You get extraordinary plant life because 바카라사이트re are no agrichemicals and relatively little pollution,¡± he added.

Well aware that few o바카라사이트r people share his ¡°passion for this sort of territory¡±, Mr Chell none바카라사이트less argued that ¡°it affects a huge range of users, so 바카라사이트 habitat deserves a bit more attention: this is here, this is what it is like ¨C and it is often beautiful¡±.

The multimedia show ¨C which includes silhouette images of roadside plants ¨C is at 바카라사이트 Bluecoat in Liverpool until 23 February.

mat바카라사이트w.reisz@tsleducation.com