Liz Hingley is a British photographer who works very closely with nature and the idea of using the connections with the environment as a form of therapy and as an escape.
‘When British photographer Liz Hingley’s sleep was interrupted during the first coronavirus lockdown in 2020, she dreamed that nurses and doctors came streaming out of London's big hospitals, all dressed in masks and protective gear and began embracing trees — hugging them.’
She basically decided that she wanted to make this dream a reality by helping health care workers who were working during the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. This is when Hingley decided that something had to be done and so she created a sort of course where health care workers could get a new perspective and an escape from the type of work and horrible things that were happening around them. A way for them to connect with nature.
‘And during that time, I was doing my sort of one-hour lockdown exercise and walking on the Heath and so aware of what a healing resource this place was for me and for so many people during that really confusing time.’
It is incredible how during these extremely uncertain times, we realized just how important nature was when it was basically taken away from us when we were told to stay in our homes. I know that I definitely felt this way, and being able to go out for walks with my camera and take pictures of my surrounding environment has definitely helped me to feel a lot more relaxed and grounded.
‘ And there's an area on the Heath where there's two of London's largest hospitals to either side of the city. I just kind of called them up cold and said, can I run some photography walks on the Heath for any staff? And wonderfully, both hospitals responded positively. And I had no idea what the uptake would be, but it was kind of overwhelming.’
It is beyond incredible and very caring for Hingley to create a project such as this, especially for what these health care workers are doing for us and for something to go out there and do something to give them something in return, it so inspiring.
‘And the aim of the project, it was to really take people away from the workplace and the crisis conditions in the hospital. And, allow them to connect with local nature that was just on their doorstep and develop a practice potentially using photography as seeing more deeply and reconnecting, in a way, just in lunch breaks and short periods. I didn't label it as therapy.’
Being able to use this time to create a sense of purpose and place other than the extremely hard work in the hospitals must have helped them to feel humanised again and not so extremely overwhelmed, as a getaway from their everyday environment.
‘What struck you about their photographs and their approach and what all that tells us about their lives right now?’
‘People really saw light. I know that sounds very simple, you know, thinking about photography, but it was very much about light and dark and shadow and shade and a lot of photographs of paths and looking up, people generally looking up. And I was also encouraging that because I have a vision of installing the images all around the hospitals where they work and in alternative ways and to draw people's eyes up. Because I think that can be a very uplifting feeling, especially when we are generally exhausted or psychologically stressed, we tend not to look up enough.’
Very interesting this concept of having people look up, especially at the work they have created as this is a very rewarding feeling, knowing that this is what you did. Again, especially in these stressful times for them. Being able to take their minds and wonder again even for a short time and then to have something in return.
Photograph by Frosso, an ICU nurse at The Royal Free Hospital, during a photography and ecology walk on Hampstead Heath, London, led by Liz Hingley, 2020.
‘they're so, so energized, these environments and so far from the natural world. So, a lot of people were seeking that pause and reconnect with a different light and movement and pace outside.’
This just goes to show how photography can be used as therapy even for those who do not use photography or art as a usual part of their practice, as walking through nature and reconnecting with the earth is such an incredible experience and being able to capture these beautiful feelings in a frame is just so gratifying and it helps you to remember what you were feeling during these times. It is like a way of communicating with yourself and others all in one.