slow still life

Since 2020, Savannah Dodd’s photographic practice has transitioned away from the digital toward ecological analogue methods. Influenced by the process of naturalising as an Irish citizen, her recent work explores ideas of place, belonging, and connection to the land. 

slow still life is about reconnecting with nature and slowing down to pay closer attention to the ordinary. It is also about unlearning perfectionism and the urge to be productive. Although this project speaks to universal themes, there is specificity to this work: the photographs were taken around the artist's home and printed using materials found in the local environment. Avoiding traditional darkroom chemicals, which are toxic for people and the planet, the artist made developers, fixers, and emulsions from foraged native plants, from rainwater, and from seawater collected from Strangford Lough, reinforcing the relationship with the natural world.