Eleanor West BA, MA, AFHEA, ARPS is a photographer and Lecturer at Aberystwyth University, Wales. Her work examines themes of landscape, place, heritage and memory through analogue and historical photographic practices. Using both film and digital processes, she creates projects that explore the connections between people, environments, and visual culture while teaching the next generation of art photographers.
Artist Statement
My photographic practice is an escape from the pace and demands of contemporary life. Rooted in slowness, reflection, and presence, I work with analogue processes and a range of film cameras, embracing photographic technologies that connect me to the medium’s historical foundations. The limitations of film, whether the restricted number of exposures on a roll or the number of dark slides I can carry, encourage a mindful and considered approach to image-making. These constraints invite me to slow down, observe carefully, and respond to the experiential qualities of the landscape.
Nature is central to my practice. I am drawn to the spaces where the natural world intersects with human presence, to the influence of light on a changing landscape, and to the quiet details that often go unnoticed. Time spent in the nature allows me to engage deeply with place, time and feeling.
Memory is a recurring theme throughout my work, particularly in relation to the photographic image. Childhood experiences exploring historic sites and beautiful places across the UK continue to inform my attraction to places shaped by history. As both a photographer and educator, my research explores the photograph as a physical object, its memory, and material process, using historical techniques to create meaningful and reflective work.
Exhibitions
i gam o gam – Stiwdio Maelor, Corris. 02/2022
When Green Meets Gray – Pen’rallt Gallery Bookshop, Machynlleth. 09/2021
MA & Other Postgraduates Exhibition – Atkinson Gallery, Millfield School. 02/2018
Postgraduate Exhibition, School of Art, Aberystwyth University. 09/2017
Postgraduate and Undergraduate Exhibition, School of Art, Aberystwyth University. 05/2017
Undergraduate Exhibition, School of Art, Aberystwyth University. 05/2016
Photography Exhibition, Bay Gallery, Aberystwyth, Celf Ceredigion Art. 05/2016
Student Exhibition, Bay Gallery, Aberystwyth. 12/2015
Open Photography Exhibition, The Gas Gallery, Aberystwyth. 08/2015
