Successful AER applicant, Nicholas Holt, shares letter of motivation for the JOYA: arte + ecología residency
- Written byPost-Grad Community
- Published date 25 April 2023
Share story
Nicholas Holt, MA Photojournalism & Documentary Photography student from London College of Communication has been selected for the AER residency at JOYA: arte + ecología, Spain.
Set up by Professor Lucy Orta UAL Chair of Art for the Environment - Centre for Sustainable Fashion in 2015, The Art for the Environment International Artist Residency Programme (AER) provides UAL graduates with the exceptional opportunity to apply for short residencies at one of our internationally renowned host institutions, to explore concerns that define the 21st century – biodiversity, environmental sustainability, social economy, and human rights.
Read Nicholas' successful proposal
I am a lens-based artist based in the Peak District, UK. My practice explores meditated states in the landscape; in recognition of the interconnectivity that we have with the natural world. Increasingly, I see my work as an ‘act of restoration’1 for our relationship with the natural world; while appreciating those processes that exist beyond our understanding.
Previous to my career as an artist, I worked as an advertising art director. I am aware that I have used my creative skills to benefit companies that have contributed to the current ecological crisis that we face. I now have a strong motivation to direct my skills toward ecologically-focused projects.
Since graduating from UAL in 2022, I have – together with two course-mates – formed Collective 454: an international group of research-led, environment-focused photographers. Our name refers to the age of planet earth – 4.54 billion years – and reflects the widest possible scope of attention to the ecological crisis that we currently face. The collective aims to change the visual language around the interaction of humans with the environment. However, I make this application for the JOYA residency as an individual, as I am undertaking this proposed project alone.
In my first new work since graduating, I am using photography to explore the phenomena of desertification, which has been described as ‘the greatest environmental challenge of our time’.
In December 2022, I made a study of the geological, geographical, and historical traces of a once-green savannah that remain in the Algerian Sahara today. I attempted to reach beyond an anthropocentric narrative and look at the changes in the Sahara region in the context of deep time. I wanted to hint at the unseen, planetary processes that shape Earth’s natural systems. ‘Desertification: ’Ghosts of a Green Sahara’; was shortlisted for the Sony World Photography Awards 2023.
For a further stage of the project, I want to explore the spread of the Sahara into Southern Europe. According to the UN, a fifth of Spanish land is now so degraded that it is turning into desert,3 deteriorating the economic productivity of the land; threatening the livelihoods of people, resources, and wildlife in water-scarce parts of Europe: such as Almeria. I consider the project to be at an early stage and wish to make explorations of the subject that may include art photography, text works, documentary, and photography’s expanded field.
If accepted to the residency at JOYA, I would use the time to deepen my research and begin to make work, whilst living in a landscape affected by desertification. I would be particularly interested in talking to Simon and Donna about the effect that Desertification has had on the local area. This is first-hand knowledge that I would find difficult to access otherwise. Time spent at Joya would enable me to establish a more intimate connection with the surrounding land. My practice involves meditative walking, to dissolve the barriers between myself and the natural world. I draw on diverse influences such as my Zen practice, the theories of Arnold Berleant, Psychogeography, and walking artists such as Hamish Fulton. I would look forward to opportunities to have mutually enriching collaborations with other artists at JOYA.
A further aspect of interest to me would be the opportunity to experiment with the materiality of film photography in the JOYA Darkroom. Impermanence lies at the core of my Zen practice, and I would like to extend it into my art practice. I do not have access to a darkroom, so this residency would be a valuable opportunity to introduce an analog dimension to the project: something that I was not able to realise in the Algerian Sahara.
I hope to disseminate the project by applying for relevant exhibitions and photographic festivals taking place worldwide. I am pleased that the first stage is currently being shown at various locations around the world as part of the Sony World Photography Awards 2023.
A residency at JOYA would enable me to take my desertification project to a deeper level of research, engagement, and creative practice. I would also welcome the shift in perspective that would undoubtedly emerge from this residency.
Related links
UAL Post-Grad Community
Established in 2013, Post-Grad Community is an inclusive platform for all UAL postgraduate students to share work, find opportunities and connect with other creatives within the UAL and beyond. Find out more