{"id":6698,"date":"2015-06-08T09:37:29","date_gmt":"2015-06-08T08:37:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/music-matters\/?p=6698"},"modified":"2015-06-08T09:52:09","modified_gmt":"2015-06-08T08:52:09","slug":"modern-day-digital-pilgrim-an-interview-with-phil-ward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/music-matters\/2015\/06\/08\/modern-day-digital-pilgrim-an-interview-with-phil-ward\/","title":{"rendered":"Modern-day digital pilgrim: an interview with Phil Ward"},"content":{"rendered":"

As part of the Ringing Changes<\/em> project commissioned by the Music Department for the University’s 50th anniversary celebrations – the premiere of which takes place on Friday<\/strong> 12 June<\/strong> (read more here<\/strong><\/a>) – photographs by Phil Ward<\/strong> (Deputy Director of Research Services) are being exhibited in the new Colyer-Fergusson Gallery, to coincide with the performance. Several of Phil’s images\u00a0will be projected above the stage during the concert, to which the text for the piece (by Patricia Debney<\/strong> from the School of Creative Writing) was written in response.\u00a0I caught up with Phil, and asked about the inspiration for his photography, and the experience of collaborative working as part of the project.<\/p>\n

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How did your passion for photographing the landscape come about ?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Phil<\/a>
Phil Ward<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When I was younger I used to take and develop my own black and white photographs. However, that fell by the wayside somewhat with moving houses, changing jobs, starting a family. Two things got me back in to it. The first was the technology. With modern smart phones the quality is so good that you essentially always have a decent camera with you. Sure, it\u2019s not perfect, but it does mean that you don\u2019t have to take a lot of equipment with you, so you\u2019ll always be ready to capture that fleeting moment, the changing of the light, that sudden stillness. And the second was starting to cycling to work, and passing through such beautiful and ever changing landscapes. It was irresistible!<\/p>\n

There must be something about the Kentish landscape in particular that attracts you; is there ? Are you a modern-day digital pilgrim ?!<\/strong><\/p>\n

As I say, it came about when I started cycling between Wye and Canterbury to work. As part of the route follows the pilgrim trail, I guess I am a \u2018modern day digital pilgrim\u2019! We are incredibly spoilt in this part of the world, both for the myriad back roads and tracks that make cycling a joy, but also the beauty and variety of the countryside, from the bucolic, quintessentially English charm of the rolling Downs, to the flat wildness of Romney Marsh, the bleakness of Dungeness, or the dozens of varied beaches. But I also like the less picturesque, the things that others might find ugly, from corrugated iron barns, to greasy spoon cafes, to the detritus next to the Stour river.<\/p>\n

\"iterating_kent_commission\"<\/a>
Image: Phil Ward<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Your images are used in the choral commission being performed on the 12 June; what\u2019s it been like to collaborate with Matthew and Patricia ?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s been an immense honour and privilege, but it does make me feel like a fraud! For me, I had already produced the work; for them, they are having to create new pieces. I imagine being inspired and creative to order is incredibly difficult. I hope the photographs have helped them in this. Both of them have been very open to suggestion, and it has felt like an ongoing conversation as it has developed.<\/p>\n

\"Phil's
Phil’s images on display in the gallery<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What can visitors to your exhibition expect <\/strong>?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Given the number of images that I\u2019ve got on my blog<\/strong><\/a>, it was challenging to cut them down to the selection I\u2019m going to show. I wanted them to be somehow representative, but ultimately went with the ones that I liked best. There will be everything there, from a broken blackbird\u2019s egg found on the Chartham cycle path, to winter mists and summer haze, from the stark beauty of Dungeness to the lush farmland of the Stour Valley. I hope they reflect my journey, my \u2018digital pilgrimage\u2019!<\/p>\n

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The exhibition of Phil’s photographs is now open at the Colyer-Fergusson Gallery, admission free, gallery open during normal working hours. Ringing Changes<\/em> will be performed by the University Chamber and Cecilian Choirs on Friday 12 June<\/strong> as part of Summer Music Week: details here<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n