Dormant Legacy of Fire in the British Landscape
In Dormant Legacy of Fire in the British Landscape: Wennington, Essex, 2022, Alan McFetridge reflects on the historical role of fire in shaping the British landscape and its cultural significance. Visiting Wennington after the 2022 wildfire, he contrasts this rare event with fire's past presence in land management and ecological regeneration. Through his photograph of a kestrel amidst the aftermath, McFetridge highlights the return of fire as an urgent force in the landscape, shaped by both nature and climate change.
The landscape of the British Isles once bore the imprint of fire, a force so central to the environment that it even shaped the names of towns like Brentwood and Burnham. Over a thousand years ago, fire was a natural and essential part of the landscape for land management, clearing vegetation, and promoting ecological regeneration. These towns bear names that trace back to when the fire was an active and joint force in the environment. British rain has kept the flames dormant and they became increasingly rare due to the rise of industrialization and urbanization.
Plume and Kestral, Wennington, 2022 © Alan McFetridge
The rarity of events like the Wennington wildfire of 2022 is both striking and unsettling. According to historian Stephen J. Pyne, fire has been absent from much of the UK’s natural cycles, particularly in the North, where controlled landscape burning was once widespread. While places like Brentwood and Burnham reflect a past where fire played a critical role in shaping the landscape, today’s landscape fire incidents have become rare, and when they occur, they are often perceived as a disruption. Fire, however, was also a central force in the Industrial Revolution, fueling the growth of cities, factories, and transportation networks, thus driving the UK’s transformation into a global industrial power. The burning of coal and the widespread use of fire in industrial processes left their lasting mark on the landscape, but the role of fire in nature was diminished as a result.
Fire, however, has not been absent from the cultural and artistic history of the UK. In fact, landscape fire has been used metaphorically in British art and literature for centuries, often reflecting themes of destruction, renewal, and the sublime. The fires of the Industrial Revolution, for example, were immortalized in the paintings of J.M.W. Turner, whose depictions of London’s burning chimneys and industrial landscapes captured both the power and devastation of fire. Meanwhile, poets such as William Blake, with his vivid depictions of fiery visions in works like The Tyger, and later, more modern poets, have used fire to symbolise transformation and social upheaval. Yet, the landscape fires of nature, which once played a vital role in shaping the land, rarely appear in these works. This absence is part of a larger cultural shift in which fire became more associated with the destructive forces of industrialisation rather than its regenerative potential in the wild.
While a relatively small event compared to global wildfires, the Wennington fire reawakens this dormant legacy of fire in the British landscape. It serves as a reminder that fire’s ecological role has been largely forgotten in the UK, yet it is a force we must reckon with once again as climate change accelerates the risk of more frequent and severe wildfires. The return of fire to the landscape is not just an environmental challenge but also a cultural one as we reconsider our historical relationship with fire in both nature and art.
I visited Wennington shortly after the fire, between July 22 and July 25 to explore the aftermath. Unlike my other fire studies, which involved travelling thousands of miles to remote locations, this one felt disarmingly close to home. A short 20-minute train journey from my East London studio brought me to the edge of London and Essex, where the land had been freshly transformed by fire. Like most fire aftermaths, the area was cordoned off by emergency services, leaving me to work along its edges, observing from a distance. I used my sense of smell to guide me down a lane near the village. There was no smoke, only the stillness of a land in shock.
As I set up my tripod-mounted camera, working out a composition of a burn fence line to represent a boundary crossing, I looked up—and a plume of smoke suddenly appeared, rising gently into the sky. At that exact moment, a kestrel appeared, flying directly in front of the camera. Birds of prey are known to circle fires, looking for fleeing animals, and this kestrel seemed to embody that instinct. The photograph accompanying this piece invites viewers to reflect on our relationship with fire: once a partner in shaping the land, now a force that will once again become a common element of the British landscape. - A.M.
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On The Line - Upcoming Release on Metalable, Late 2024
The final 15 copies of the first edition of On The Line, numbers 460 to 475, are being released with a set of three unique prints on washi paper on Metalable in May 2024.
Above: On The Line - Photobook: Signed and Numbered Edition, H: 394mm x W: 330mm
The final 15 copies of the first edition of On The Line, numbers 460 to 475, are being released with a set of three unique prints on washi paper on Metalable in May 2024.
On The Line explores Canada’s largest evacuation and the most costly natural disaster in its history and the complex relationship between boreal fires and their impact on social and economic dynamics in the early 21st century.
Reviews:
“A brave and visionary response. One that strikes close to home” - Robert Adams, Photographer.
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“Most impressive. I love the cover and have been running my fingers over it, tilting it back and forth under my light.
Very bituminous!
And it’s great to see the photos so large, almost window-sized.
They really put you there - struggling trees and huge, implacable vehicles - two motivations at diametric odds with one another”. - John Vaillant, author of Fire Weather, 2023.
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“A powerful collection Alan” - Maria Lisogorskaya, Turner Prize Winning Artist and Architect.
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“...There is a strange, melancholic grace in these images; one whose power contains multiplicities. Not only are each of these photos a spectacle of nature’s waning resilience, they reiterate our implication in the destruction of the natural world…” Michael Steven, poet.
About:
Photographer and Artist Alan McFetridge travelled to Fort McMurray six months after the evacuation. Sensitive to the trauma, he photographed trees on the edges of Highway 63, which became jammed to a standstill during the evacuation from the firestorm. Testament to the collective mindset of the community here, 90,000 people bravely inched away without panic to safety, with everyone surviving.
This is the first publication of his ten-year study on Landscape Fire.
Materials:
The book is made from 100% plant-based and recycled materials.
Proceeds:
Proceeds go towards touring the project and supporting the interdisciplinary Centre of Ecological Philosophy.
Above: Page 3.
Above: Packaged into an archival Glassine Slip Bag
Above: pages 4 & 5.
Above: Three 210mm x 297mm washi paper prints are included in this release
Dis/obedience to the Earth - Now available as a podcast!
In One Form Upon This Earth, 2017. 100cm x 125cm © Alan McFetridge
A while ago, probably long enough for some of you to have completely forgotten that it happened, Alan was invited to talk on a panel event at the University of Westminster on climate awareness. We promised that for those who were unable to join, there would be a link available so that you can listen to the recorded version. Well, my friends, your prayers have been answered!
Thanks to the handy work of David Morris, this event is now available on a multitude of platforms and you will not regret taking just an hour out of your day to listen to an intelligent and engaging discussion of spirituality and climate change.
Dis/obedience to the Earth - A Climate Awareness Panel Event for Interfaith Week 2021 is available on Breaker, Google Podcasts, Pocket Cast, Radio Public, Copy RSS, and Spotify! Click the link below to listen!
Fun Fact: ‘Dead End Days’, a serialised dark comedy about zombies released from 31 October 2003 through 2004, is commonly believed to be the first video podcast. As a side note, Alan’s upcoming monograph, currently titled Songs of the Dead, was previously called ‘Dead End.’ There is, however, no similarity between ‘Dead End Days’ and ‘Dead End’ … or maybe there is? It’s actually about Zombies…
We are Hiring: Six New Roles for Ecological Research and Photography
We are excited to offer six new Kickstart Scheme Roles for 2022 for six months each. These positions will give the successful applicants the opportunity to work on ecological research outputs in the Arts.
6 new temporary roles are available for 16 -24 years olds* Open Applications until 14 February 14 2022.
Outline of The Roles:
Junior Data Scientist - Computer Science x 2 open roles
As Fire on Earth continues to find new extremes we are looking for people to work collaboratively with satellite data to investigate how fire is seen from space.Photography Assistants x 2 open roles
We are currently producing fine art prints, a monograph and compiling recent field studies from Australia and Greece. These roles will involve using Adobe Creative Suite, Squarespace, Capture One to move each of the areas forward as a collaborative team.Marketing & Communication Lead x 2 open roles
This is a role for an organised person that can understand the broader vision of the group and see the necessary detail of daily studio life and develop a marketing plan to include articulate writing, social and physical networks and coordinated logistics and communication.
These are ideal roles for anyone who wants to put their energy on Ecology in a fast-paced, highly collaborative, visual and data-driven environment. Someone who is thrilled towards gaining exposure to the multiple facets of creating visual art to thrust and be present in eco-critical debates. Including operations, product development, logistics, fabrication, sales, marketing and research. The team has an ardent sense of the value that a committed group has in expanding environmental knowledge through field work, theory and output.
The right candidates from diverse fields and backgrounds are very welcome as the ability to focus, enjoy your work, learn fast, intuitive, complete tasks and think laterally is viewed as key skills. We’re looking for team members that excel across the entire development lifecycle, come with a growth mindset, and bring a genuine desire to learn about ecology and how to communicate this.
The studio is in East London 8 minutes walk from Bromley by Bow station. Wheelchair access is available to the ground floor, however the studio is on the first floor with step access only. Happy to look at solutions to work off site or discuss possibilities with the building owners to get first floor access.
Landscape Fire Research
Photography Book Production
Earth Observation
Visually lead with an emphasis on publication and exhibition.
East London Studio Location
Details:
Kickstart is a scheme for 16-24 year olds who are unemployed and on Universal Credit. Eligible applicants need to speak to their own JCP work coach who will be able to make the referral.
Please direct any questions or send CVs and covering letters to alan@alan-mcfetridge.com
Open for applications until 14 February 2022
Tears in Silence, 2020 © Alan McFetridge
Now you can become a Patron via Patreon
Our research and creativity is part of a collaborative process that involves individuals with varying backgrounds, skills, and education or training. To keep the work moving forward we have joined Patreon.
As Alan McFetridge’s work continues, it has begun to blossom into the Centre for Ecological Philosophy and the team working here at the studio is expanding.
Artifacts and Landscapes from Menai, New South Wales, Australia
Outside of an academic institution, the execution of our research and creativity is part of a collaborative process that involves individuals with varying backgrounds, skills, and education or training.
In light of this, to keep the work moving forward we have joined Patreon, a subscription platform that gives you the possibility of donating to our small research center. To thank you for your contribution, depending on the subscription you choose, you can get free prints, and even discounts, and vouchers for the Alan McFetridge website.
Environmental concerns are shared amongst many of us and it would mean a lot if you could help us find ways to fund the work we want to continue doing. Keep an eye on this blog to find out what is coming next and what your contribution makes possible.
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Warmest wishes,
Antoinette Johnson (Any Pronouns)
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On The Line, 2019 is available at The Whitechapel Gallery Bookshop, The Photographers’ Gallery Bookshop, and Claire De Rouen Books. It is available for research at the British Library.
5 Nominations for the Prix Pictet, The Global Award for Photography and Sustainability
The photography work on dispossession has received 5 nominations for the ninth cycle of the Prix Pictet themed - Fire.
Pleased that the work on dispossession has received 5 nominations for the ninth cycle of the Prix Pictet themed - Fire.
Thanks to everyone that has contributed and become friends along the way. It's a nice feeling, sense of more people coming together to accelerate change, showing that piecemeal offers are not enough. We’ll enjoy this, in the hope the exhibition can show the extent and conditions of our now fiery planet. What it means. No celebrations here until significant and rapid changes to global landcare are made, with adaptation of wide spread, long term ecological philosophy - the work will and must continue in earnest - as -‘tears on the faces of stone, they are our own tears’ - James K. Baxter.
Thank you kindly,
Alan.
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