At the halfway point of this unit, I find myself reflecting less on what I have produced and more on why I am producing it. The project has become a process of discovery rather than a process of making. What began as a collection of photographs, poems, observations and visual experiments is gradually revealing a deeper narrative that connects many of my interests: travel, mythology, landscape, memory, storytelling and human connection.
Throughout the project, I have continued to draw inspiration from mythology, particularly The Odyssey. Although I am no longer directly retelling episodes from the poem, its influence remains present in my thinking. Odysseus continues to represent the traveller, the seeker and the person attempting to understand both the world and himself through movement and experience. It is perhaps significant that new adaptations of The Odyssey continue to appear today, reminding us that these stories remain relevant because they address something universal within human experience. The desire to travel, to discover, to lose oneself and to find meaning remains as powerful now as it was thousands of years ago.
This idea resonates strongly with my own practice. Recent journeys through Scotland, including visits to St Abbs, Eyemouth, Holy Island and Bamburgh, have provided new material for reflection. However, I have become increasingly aware that the value of these photographs does not lie solely in the places themselves. What interests me is the way an image can speak differently to different people.
A significant moment of realisation came when I shared photographs with others and received completely different responses. Images that carried one meaning for me often generated entirely different interpretations for somebody else. Rather than finding this frustrating, I found it exciting. It made me realise that the purpose of my work is not to provide answers or fixed interpretations. Instead, I want to create opportunities for connection.
One image that particularly affected me was a bird-like sculpture on Holy Island. Suspended against the sky, it appeared to be flying while simultaneously being held in place. The support that allowed it to rise was also the thing that prevented it from being free. I found myself thinking about how many aspects of life operate in this way. Work, responsibility, family, ambition and even creativity can sometimes function as both support and restraint. Yet I am aware that somebody else may look at the same image and see something entirely different. That possibility is what interests me most.
This has become an important development in my thinking. I no longer see photographs simply as illustrations of ideas. Instead, they are becoming starting points for conversations. The images do not need to explain themselves. Their role is to invite reflection and allow viewers to bring their own experiences, memories and emotions into the encounter.
As the project continues, I find that The Bird Who Came From Afar is still forming. The character remains a vehicle through which I can explore questions of movement, belonging and identity, but the work itself is becoming less about autobiography and more about connection. Increasingly, I want the photographs, texts and visual narratives to speak beyond my own experiences and create space for others to discover something of themselves within them.
At this stage, I feel that the project is moving towards a clearer understanding of what I want my practice to achieve. More than anything, I want to create work that invites engagement, reflection and connection. If an image, a story or a fragment of visual poetry encourages somebody to pause, think, remember or see something differently, then it has already begun to fulfil its purpose.
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