The River Lea acts as a canvas, expressing the essence of the urban environment, history, and culture.

My media project, Solemn Matter, aims to present the River Lea in a "solemn" light through the use of Cyanotype, intending to instil a sense of value for the river. Despite being a vital infrastructure and ecological space for London, the river has repeatedly experienced exploitation without the reverence it warrants. This results in neglect, pollution, and environmental damage, frequently evading notice.

The methodology for this project revolves around creating Cyanotype photographic prints utilising various materials, primarily plants, collected from the River Lea.

These collected plants assume diverse shapes and showcase varying degrees of vitality, capturing various stages from freshness to decay, encompassing branches, leaves, flowers, and seeds. The Cyanotype process captures the object's silhouette by exposing the canvas to ultraviolet light. This light is selectively blocked by the object, creating a negative image on the canvas. The amount of light transmitted through the object determines the intensity of the captured image. This distinctive method visually represents the plants on the canvas, resulting in a unique, evocative outcome.

To accentuate the process of fading life, I present it through video, featuring dynamic images flickering as if the life within the image is growing and moving. Projecting the video in a dim environment allows the audience to sense the ambience of light transitioning from brightness to dimness, symbolising life's fading.