Common Ground

Common Ground // A portrait of Nature and Community

A year ago I went on a journey to explore and educate myself about my local environment, Wanstead flats, nestled at the southern tip of Epping Forest, where the urban landscape meets the woods.

The area means a great deal to local residents who use it on a daily basis but it has also a huge wider ecological significance too. Protests here in the past were crucial to the origins of the Conservation Movement and helped establish the Right to Roam in the UK.

Hoping that the images and accompanying videos would shed some light on the pressing environmental challenges we face today and remind us of our responsibility to preserve and protect our shared environments.

I learned about rare birds, moths, bees and spiders, met people that dug out an old pond to create a new aquatic ecosystem, and hung out with a predominantly south Asian girls’ football team that use the Flats as their training ground.

The project resulted in a multi media exhibition called Common Ground and is currently displayed along Leytonstone High street in East London. The exhibition is kindly supported by the London Borough of Waltham Forest, Network Rail and Leytonstone local businesses.