Roger Coulam studied as an Environmental Scientist, but his connection to the rural landscape led to work as a photographer, starting in 1998.
Roger Coulam’s storm chasing start….
During eight years from 2000-2007 Roger Coulam developed a worldwide reputation as a ground-breaking photographer of severe weather, making several appearances on television and radio.
Eventually disillusioned with the damage his commercial work was doing to the environment and to his health, he took the decision in 2008 to concentrate on the creative side of his practice.
Some of Roger Coulam’s images of storms around lighthouses in NE England
Nevertheless he still managed from time to time to combine this earlier specialism with his new focus and showed a remarkable series of images of extraordinary weather conditions around lighthouses in the North-East of England at GroundWork Gallery as part of Water Rising in 2019.
Combining experimental imagery and processes
Roger Coulam’s interests have continued to range widely across both the the natural and historic environment. His works are often inspired by archaeological remains and found objects, as well as the detail of nature and landscape. He takes trouble to find unique ways of representing his subject matter. Much of his imagery is experimental in nature and is often made without a camera or lens.
Thousands of men and boys mined coal 500 meters below the earth here and miles out under the North Sea. More than 100 were killed in often brutal accidents and those lives and deaths only add poignancy to what remains.
A plateau of colliery slurry and industrial waste lies along the base of the cliffs and the “sand” is made of pyrites. Rare chemicals form bright yellow crusts, and blood red pools, the largest of which is known locally as Red Lake. It can be a strange, frustrating, empty and desolate place, but the worst pollution and the final traces of heavy industry are vanishing rapidly as time and tides scour away our violent marks.
For a decade I have walked and photographed “The Blast” often considering what would be left if our society ended today, and how our lives and culture might be interpreted by the people of the future. How would they read the cultural objects found scattered and washed up on the beach?”
Complex montages
The artist makes complex montages with small found, un-considered, or discarded objects. These act as metaphors for our relationship with nature and the planet, and the thoughtless exploitation of finite resources. He believes that the smallest of items can start a dialogue about the largest of themes.
“I attempt….to bring order and calm, to explore and to challenge”
Many of Roger Coulam’s projects are long term in scale, allowing time and chance to influence their direction.
“My works reflect my own interests and deep concerns about the world and the environment, and also my place within it. I attempt to try and understand my experiences and responses by making pictures, to bring order and calm, to explore, and to challenge.”
“I am excited by the opportunity to become involved in a wider network of artists and practices that relate and respond to the environment. Becoming part of a positive conversation relating to our world and helping to support those who offer alternatives is very important to me.”
