Stephen N. Walker

On 09/05/2018, I felt a compulsion to make photographs in an area of the Peak District known as Danebower.

I have worked there for over a year, within the boundaries of four OS grid squares, wandering the paths and moorland of this apparently empty space. I will work here for another year at least.  These hills are a source; of five rivers (Goyt, Wye, Manifold, Dove and Dane), of coal and then stone for roofs and footpaths in Macclesfield and now of grouse bred for sport.  It is a liminal space with frequent fog and bad weather, where motorists race, try to avoid ranks of yellow speed cameras. 

My work examines the effect that this area has had on me and my understanding of my place in the landscape.  The Nine Points, shown in 41 photographs in this exhibition, are sites that mark the self-imposed limits of my workspace.  In making these images I have constantly been aware of the difference between location (as shown on map and GPS screen), and my sense of where I am as dictated by the land itself. This has made me wonder what it means to “know where I am” – if it means anything at all.