SUSSEX PORTFOLIO: HELEN SEAR - Connect Brighton

Drawn to examine the contrast between places in which nature is left to its own devices, and places where plants and landscapes have been carefully cultivated and protected by human intervention, photographer Helen Sear spent two years exploring the gardens and landscapes of Sussex in the making of this portfolio.

One of Helen’s starting points was to look at the legacy of other artists with Sussex connections: Roland Penrose, Lee Miller, Eileen Agar, and Max Ernst. This led her to Edward James and West Dean Gardens, which inspired a surrealist approach, both in terms of the manipulation of images and a lightness of touch.

Visiting inspirational locations – from Standen House and its arts and crafts legacy, to Iping Common, a magnificent example of endangered heathland habitat – Helen playfully manipulates and layers images to create beautifully patterned compositions that celebrate nature in all its forms.

Photographer Helen Sear explains her approach to creating the Sussex Portfolio for the new hospital waiting rooms in this 5 minute film by Vasil Dzhagalov.

“I saw parallels between these sites and environments for wellbeing and worked to produce pictures that playfully explore colour and light through combining images in post-production. My central aim was to make pictures that stimulated and engaged hospital users at times of anxiety and in situations when waiting times are often unpredictable.”