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.