During the journey along the Irwell, I have been reflecting on such practice and trying to seek out some ‘answers’. Then some artists work came as inspirations, the ‘picture’ suddenly became clearer.

The first one is Daniel Staincliffe who has just completed a residency at the Forest of Dean called Fauna Antomana: British Wild Boar, in order to raise public awareness of wild boar.

Then on Thursday Dr. David Haley from MA Art&Environmental at Manchester Metropolitan University came to visit with his colleagues James Brady and Kate Bevan. All of them work in the fields of arts, environment and ecology.

After a chat with them, I realised that my engagement with the environment, or, with the landscape, has always been a metaphysical, or an aesthetic one. I am preoccupied with the ‘representation’ of the landscape and its ‘aesthetic’ value. However the environmental and ecological artists not only see the appearance of an environment, but also work with its function, its physical characters and its physical links with everything else. They actively aim to make a real change. (And the word ‘environment’ and ‘landscape’ really mean two different things!)

This discovery is enlightening. There is value in both approaches, and an artist can work in one or both domains. But it’s better to know the difference.