AMANDA JACKSON: CAPTURING SUSTAINABLE LIVING
Editorial photographer Amanda Jackson has a passion for capturing sustainable living and environmental issues, with an emphasis on people and places on the edges of mainstream society. Based in Malvern she is currently working on a series called ‘To Build A Home’ about the Lammas Eco Village in Pembrokeshire. In 2015 Amanda was shortlisted for Environmental Photographer of the Year.
Favourite art gallery in the West Midlands?
I love the Courtyard in Hereford. It not only has a great gallery space with a wide range of shows but it is also a venue for the Borderlines film festival. It’s also a favourite as it’s one of the first places I had my photography exhibited, as part of the Hereford Photography Festival.
What has been the best exhibition you have seen in the past 12 months?
The Royal Photographic Society’s International Print Exhibition at the Hive in Worcester was a great and eclectic collection of contemporary photography. There was a great range of work, from portraits to wildlife photography so there was something there for everyone to enjoy.
I also enjoyed the Eco-Craft exhibition at the RBSA gallery in Birmingham, especially the jewellery by Rachel Darbourne who uses recycled polythene in her pieces.
What highlights are you looking forward to during Summer?
Being inspired by the film Wild, I am walking half the Pennine Way on my own in July. I’m looking forward to the adventure and of course I’ll be taking my camera with me, photographing the people I meet along the way.
Are there any must-go to venues you attend each year?
I love films so the Herefordshire Borderlines film festival is something I always go to. They have a great range of films, from popular award winning films to ones that you probably wouldn’t have had the opportunity to see otherwise.
Where do you feel most creative?
I have been working on my series ‘To Build A Home’ about the Lammas Eco Village in Pembrokeshire for the last 3 years and whenever I go back I feel a surge of creativity. The people and the place really inspire me. I used to live next to the Eco Village so whenever I go back it’s like going back to a second home.
If you were taking a visitor to the region on a cultural day out where would you go?
Birmingham is an obvious choice, with its wide range of galleries and the museum. For lunch I would take them to The Warehouse Café , which does amazing vegetarian food. I also love the multiculturalism of Birmingham. I was born in Toronto, Canada and being in Birmingham reminds me of the diversity I was surrounded by where I grew up.
Favourite artist / creative from the region?
The photographer Brian Griffin does amazing work and is very proud of his Black Country roots. His series ‘Black Kingdom’ is about his life growing up in the area in the 50’s and 60’s and I love the balance his photos have between being humorous and sinister.
Amanda is currently planning a joint exhibition with photographer Jonathan Goldberg. “We have both been photographing Eco Villages for years, me with Lammas and him with Grow Heathrow and we think the two bodies of work will compliment and contrast with each other well in an exhibition”.
