Common Ground launch event

About

Visual artist James Berrington conceived of Common Ground after spending time in nature during lockdown, when his daily walks in the Great North Wood in south London became a space for self-refection and calm. The large photographic installation and photobook, which is accompanied by the sound of birdsong, immerses the viewer in an ancient English woodland landscape.

Spending time in this ancient woodland was part of James’ mental health recovery and led him to question ideas around identity and, in the context of a seemingly shifting national identity pre- and post-Brexit, examine ideas of an Englishness rooted in myth, legend, clichés, stereotypes and symbolism.

Making and talking about Common Ground began an ongoing process of self-acceptance for James, just as sitting with the plants and animals, the sounds of the birds, and the smell of the earth in the woods gave him the breathing space to begin his mental health recovery.