The Seeking Sanctuary Series
The Seeking Sanctuary Series is a documentary project recording experiences in places that offer moments of calm and time for the mind to wander.
The series has been several years in the making as I’ve spent time attempting to understand what drives me and what spending time in inspirational places can do for my wellbeing and for all of us.
At each sanctuary I spend time just occupying the space, being aware of the sensory experience of being somewhere, often out of sight or separate from others. This can be a short time or longer, I often revisit found places several times, building an awareness of it.
The places vary from pockets of space in urban environments to being out in the landscape, often near water, I’m interested in understanding how sanctuary can be found at a very human scale and the requirements that each person has for finding these moments.
The featured sanctuaries all start at a threshold, a point of entry that creates a boundary between the world and the space, this can be as simple as a step off a path or something more deliberate like a drive to the end of a track.
The documenting I do uses photography, words and data to convey the feelings of being there, in that moment. These are then presented as part of an ever growing series of booklets.
My hope for the series is that they act as a moment of calm but also inspire people to think about how they find sanctuary and perhaps start conversations about those moments.
Click on each of the locations below to find out about more of the sanctuaries.
So, where next?
My list of places to go, keeps on growing, some are more easy to reach than others, but my plan is to visit them all in time!
Here are a selection of places I’m planning to go and to record my experiences
Long Mynd, Shropshire
Corrimony Chambered Cairn
Portskerra, Highlands
Dawson's plantation, Nottinghamshire
Camster Cairns. Image copyright Gaius Cornelius
Cape Wrath, Highlands. Copyright Colin Wheatley
Former Battlement nr Fishtoft on the banks of the River Haven
Acarsaid Mhor, Uist
I’m interested in connecting with others, to find commonality of ideas and to share stories of how people find respite and moments of calm in the time we live.
If you’d like to chat about sanctuary or have a perspective that you’d like to share, then I’d love to hear from you!