Robert Darch has been a regular visitor to Bath Spa photography - helping with tutorials, and talking to us about his practice. His talk yesterday was about his most recent book, The Moor.
“The Moor depicts a fictionalised dystopian future situated on the bleak moorland landscapes of Dartmoor. Drawing on childhood memories of Dartmoor alongside influences from contemporary culture, the narrative references local and universal mythology to give context but suggests something altogether more unknown. The realisation of this dystopian future is specifically in response to a perceived uncertainty of life in the modern world and a growing disengagement with humanitarian ideals. The Moor portrays an eerie world that shifts between large open vistas, dark forests, makeshift dwellings, uncanny visions and isolated figures.” Robert Darch
It’s a beautiful book - small and with no written narrative, relying on its 43 colour images, and with a simple line drawing on the cover by Ben Javens.
The Moor is a fictional narrative set on Dartmoor
In the couple of years we’ve known Robert, his work has become more widely recognised. Martin Parr has described him as a ‘rising star in British photography’, and Robert has just last month given a talk at the Martin Parr Foundation.
Robert has said that this success has not just happened - it’s something he has had to work hard at in terms of raising his profile and getting his work out there. He sets aside a day a week to work on his social media presence and on raising his profile in general.
This was a key message for us as final year students - you can’t expect the world to come and find you, you have to put a lot of effort into networking and social media, exhibiting and, above all, continuing to make new work.
