Southampton Common has been in existence since 1228 and became a public park in 1844. It encompasses 328 acres. The old cemetery covers 27 acres and received its first burial in 1846. It is one of England’s earliest municipal cemeteries and is adjacent to the Common.
For four years my Common Ground photographic project examined the Common and the old cemetery to artistically interpret a landscape that has been shaped by human activity through management and usage of this shared space.
Common Ground explores the intersections between the man-made and the managed natural resources – from the open and wooded spaces to the paths that link the various Common elements. These paths are the key to the Common, its frame, linking the open spaces, the water, the woodland spaces and the old cemetery.
In 2018 Common Ground had an Arts Council funded solo exhibition at the Southampton City Art Gallery.
