The South West Graduate Photography Prize is one of the region’s most prestigious awards for emerging photographers, celebrating fresh talent and giving winners the chance to showcase their work to a wider audience. A huge congratulations to Photography and Print alumni Tess on her nomination and this exciting milestone in her photography career. 

We caught up with Tess to get the lowdown on her project Gatherers, a beautiful dive into nature, folklore and photography. From her inspirations to the process behind the work, Tess shares how she’s brought this project to life and what this nomination means for her.

Can you tell us about this project and its inspiration?
Having grown up in Cornwall, nature has played a key role in my life, and especially since moving to Bristol, it has always been at the forefront of my mind – the answer to almost everything. On top of this, the worlds of folk and fairy tales have been a deep fascination of mine. Whilst considering how I could create work that sits within these realms, I was gifted a book—Discovering the Folklore of Plants by Margaret Baker—a wonderful, alphabetical read into the individual folk uses of various plants throughout British culture and history. I decided, through the lens of this book, that I would love to set out and explore, photograph and collect as many of these plants as I could. From this point onwards, Gatherers became a personal diary, a visual tale of my dive into the natural world, in which I wanted to create an appreciation for the trees, flowers, and bushes that are too often taken for granted.

Can you tell us about the process of creating Gatherers?
For the entirety of my photographic practice, it has been my 35mm camera and I, and so it only felt natural to continue to develop the body of work this way. With a checklist of plants selected from Baker’s book, I explored the nature that Bristol is lucky to be surrounded by, documenting the plants and their homes. As my collection grew, the work’s importance to me also grew, and I decided that it deserved a home worthy of this. With a past of obsessing over the collecting and organising of ephemera, I knew I would want each plant arranged into its own box. I set out to create 25 boxes from scratch, each containing photographic studies into the individual plant, as well as corresponding pages from the original book. 

It felt important that the intimacy of this project would be reflected through the delicate, considered nature of the boxes, in the hopes that this would develop an appreciation for the natural world. I would love to expand the work further, opening the boxes up to other artists who would like to build upon this collection.  

What did you learn on the Photography and Print degree that enabled you to create this work?
The most valuable thing I learnt over the past three years was confidence.

My photographic practice has always leaned more into fine art and physical objects, and before starting the Photography and Print course at Boomsatsuma, I had very little confidence in what I produced. Over the years, I have been supported and encouraged in so many ways, and my confidence to create has grown, regardless of its success. Lecturers Sam and Jamie were both wonderful at teaching me to stick to my guts and create the work that I wanted to create, and to have the patience to keep going when it felt like everything was going wrong.

What was your most valuable opportunity as a student at Boomsatsuma?
The greatest opportunities came from the many industry professionals we were introduced to over the three years. For example, it was during our workshops with Rachel from Bristol Bound that I learnt how to build portfolio boxes. As well as fulfilling my inclinations towards physical, handmade items, it is what began my love for building the very boxes that house this project. Another important opportunity came through meeting Tim and Emily of Negative Thinking. As well as being welcomed into and becoming part of a supportive community, I was also awarded their darkroom’s Graduate Residency, which has allowed me to continue my practice within the space, an opportunity I will be eternally grateful for.

What would it mean to win the South West Graduate Photography Prize?
Being shortlisted amongst some other amazing photographers has already instilled a lot of confidence in my work and practice; it has been very validating to learn that there is an appreciation for the work I create outside of my own professional and social bubbles. I think if I were to win, it would emphasise this further and prove to myself that I can create work that people would like to see, and inspire me to continue just that. 

Thanks for sharing your insight into the process and your work, Tess. Congratulations on your nomination, it’s a well-deserved recognition of your effort and creativity.