Hush
5:30am on a misty July morning in 2019. Capturing the sunrise over the top of Bales Hush high on the fells of Upper Teesdale.
I wanted to place a human element amongst the sails, find beauty amongst the desolation of the landscape and vibrancy of the art, by delving into the heart of artist Steve Messam’s ‘HUSH’.
You can almost hear the sails flapping as the wind grew, clearing the early morning mist, immersing us in its sheer size.
HUSH was a temporary art installation in the remote landscape of the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Co Durham, created by renowned landscape artist Steve Messam. With over 600 saffron-yellow sails filling the ancient man-made scar on the landscape, a remnant of the ancient method of ‘hushing’, the mining of minerals which was prevalent in the area in the 1800’s, the installation attracted over 5000 visitors during its 16 days on site.
